We Are Not Alone
by RainyDaySunlight
Summary: Post season1 finale. AU S2. After Peter's explosion, the group of heroes meet and learn they are again destined to work together to stop a new group of enemies. Full of surprising allies and relationships. Paire.SylarOC.SureshOC. Please read and review!
1. normal is not a possibility

_A/N: I'm sure many writers/readers have dabbled in their own ideas of what will happen next season in "Heroes". I'm not saying this is what I think will happen, but this is just my story, directly continued from the season one finale. It will involve all the familiar characters, and probably a couple new ones, but the main characters will be Claire and Peter (because they're my favorites). I hope you all enjoy, and please review so I can know if I'm just wasting my time or writing something that you really want me to pursue! Thanks bunches._

pairings: ClairePeter, ClaireOC, MohinderOC, and others...

**Disclaimer**: I own none of the familiar characters, etc. The show belongs to NBC, Kring, and all that. Anything or anyone that is new is my creation.

We Are Not Alone

By: Rainydaysunlight

Mohinder's final speech (in season one): "So much struggle for **meaning**, for **purpose**. And in the end, we find it only in each other – our **shared experience** of the fantastic…and the mundane. The simple human need to find a **kindred**…to **connect**…and to know in our hearts…that **we are not alone**."

_NOAH & CLAIRE BENNET_

_KIRBY PLAZA, NEW YORK_

"Let's go home." Noah Bennett draped his jacket around his daughter's shoulders with his good arm.

"Home where?" Claire looked at her dad, fighting against the tears clouding her eyes, as he sat beside her.

"Home is anywhere our family is together." Her dad's reply was sincere, but it had a slightly forced philosophical tone to it.

"You've got a plan right?" Claire asked through her sniffles.

"Always."

Claire nodded slowly, but then stopped. Her thoughts flashed back to the last time she asked him if he had a plan. It wasn't more than an hour ago that she had been on the phone with him, speaking quietly so as not to be overheard by the Petrelli's who were trying to whisk her away from what was going to happen with Peter. Her dad had assured her then that he had a plan, but whatever that plan may have been lead to her having to leap out of a window to escape her birth father and his controlling mother, as well as Peter blowing up in the atmosphere, while she stood helplessly staring up into the sky.

"What's wrong Claire-Bear?" He sensed a change in her mood as her shoulders tensed and her tears stopped suddenly.

"I can't."

"You can't what?"

"I can't just leave here and go back to Odessa with you like none of this happened and pretend to have a normal life. Everything's different now."

"Of course it is sweetheart." Mr. Bennett agreed. "I'm not asking you to forget about tonight. I know you probably never will…"

"Unless you try to have my memories removed again." She snapped quickly without processing her thoughts. The instant she said it, she regretted it. She knew her dad had only ever wanted to protect her, even though his ways of doing so wasn't always best.

"Claire, I just want you to be safe and happy." He told her softly. "There's no reason for us to stay here anymore tonight. Everyone's leaving, we have to too, and I just thought you might be able to recover emotionally a little better back home with your family…"

"What about my other family? I can't just forget about them." She persisted.

Mr. Bennett wasn't sure how to remind his daughter that her other family was very likely dead now, with their exploded remains filtering through outer space. Instead he tried to be optimistic for her sake. "When we get back to Odessa we can call them and maybe make some sort of arrangements…"

"Call them?" Claire shook her head, trying hard not to yell. "They just blew up!"

Clearly she didn't need him to remind her about that tragic fact. "Claire, sweetheart, I don't know what to say…"

She shook her head. "I know. I'm sorry. I'm saying all this like it's your fault or something. I'm just upset and confused…"

"I know you are and I wish I could say something or do something to help you through this better…" He paused. "I really think we should go home and you should just take some time to recover."

Claire frowned suddenly. "What about the people you work for. Aren't they like hunting me or something?"

Her dad hesitated. "That won't be an immediate problem."

"Why not?"

"Just trust me. The man who was leading the search for you won't be a problem anymore." He didn't have the courage to tell his little girl that he had just committed murder, so instead Mr. Bennett gave her a simple reassuring smile, hoping to offer some comfort, but she still looked skeptical.

"Can't we stay here for a while?"

"Here?" He glanced around the ominous square where he had just witnessed Sylar stabbed, Parkman shot, Peter near to nuclear, and his daughter seconds away from shooting her newly discovered uncle. "I'd rather not stay here…"

She smiled slightly. "I don't mean here literally, but in New York. I don't want to go back to Odessa right now."

He felt a little relieved, but still frustrated that she wasn't obeying him as willingly as she used to. He realized that nothing would ever be as it used to be. "What's here for you, Claire-Bear? Why would you want to stay here? Only bad things have happened since you've been here."

"Only bad things have happened in Odessa." She reminded him. Her tears were starting to return. "At least here I might be able to find some answers."

"Answers?"

Claire's eyes drifted over to the swarm of ambulances, which were occupied with the injured bodies of Matt Parkman and DL Hawkins. A few feet away from the busy paramedics a little girl was sobbing into the shoulder of a kneeling Indian man. Near to them a blonde woman was standing with a young boy; both of them were gazing desperately at one of the ambulances.

"They're like me." She stated finally. "I don't know how, but I know that they're special, like me and Peter and Nathan. They can do things, I'm sure of it. We were all here for a reason and I need to know what that reason is and what it means for my future."

"Your future is back in Odessa with your family." Her dad persisted.

"Dad…" Claire sighed. "I know you're not happy about any of this. You never wanted me to be involved with it, but I am now, and I can't just ignore it. I'm not normal and I'll never be able to have a normal life with my normal family. Please try to understand what I'm going through right now."

He gave up, realizing that his daughter was not the little girl that used to believe that daddy knew best. She was independent now with her own ideas and needs. Her life was changed forever and he would have to allow her to figure it out on her own, more or less. That wasn't going to stop him from trying to help her in any way possible though.

"We'll get a hotel here, in the city."

"Thank you dad!" She hugged him carefully, making sure not to bother his injured arm, which had been checked out and put into a sling by one of the paramedics.

"For tonight at least. We'll continue this discussion tomorrow when we've both gotten some sleep, okay?" Mr. Bennett stood.

"Okay." Claire gave into him for the moment, but fully intended to pursue her desire to remain in New York on a more permanent basis. She stood and allowed her dad to direct her away from the sculpture-decorated fountain that marked the center of Kirby Plaza.


	2. a little overwhelming

_NIKI & MICAH SANDERS, MOHINDER SURESH, & MOLLY WALKER_

_KIRBY PLAZA, NEW YORK_

"Mom, dad's going to be okay right?" Micah Sanders gazed after the ambulances as they pulled away from Kirby Plaza and started speeding towards the hospital.

Niki Sanders nodded quickly, trying to nonchalantly brush the stream of tears away from her eyes before her son noticed, but he noticed anyway. He always noticed when something was wrong with his mom. "He'll be fine. No problem. It's just a scratch. Nothing serious." She sniffed and wiped at her nose with the back of her hand.

"Mom, he _is_ going to be okay." Micah switched his tone, suddenly putting himself in the position or responsibility. "He's dad. You know he's capable of handling anything."

Niki smiled at her son's optimism. "Yea, he's going to be fine." She knelt down to eye level with Micah and took his hands. "How are you?"

"Okay." He shrugged, not too interested in talking about himself when his dad was on the way to the hospital for a bullet wound.

"Are you sure? That man…Linderman…he didn't hurt you or anything, did he?" She asked with genuine concern.

"No, he didn't hurt me."

"I didn't want him to take you. It wasn't me you know…"

"I know mom. It was a girl, Candice. She's special, like us." Micah explained simply. "She makes herself look like other people."

"Hmm. Interesting." Niki was a little impressed with the mention of someone else with special abilities. So far she hadn't met anyone besides herself and her family who could do anything extraordinary, until tonight that is. Now she was well aware that there were many others with a variety of unique powers. She suddenly thought back to the fight she had had up in Linderman's building before she found Micah. The girl she was fighting had appeared as Jessica and made Niki believe that her son was dead. _That must have been Candice. Oh god…what did she do with Micah? _

"She wasn't mean or anything." He assured his mom when he noted that her expression hadn't calmed down at all. "She was fine. I mean she was sort of nice, in a bad girl sort of way."

Niki forced a smile. "I'm glad she didn't hurt you, because then I would have had to kick her ass. I mean, I already sort of did, but you know any more than that…"

Micah grinned. "Yea, she really would have been in trouble."

"We should get a cab and head over to the hospital so we can be there when your dad wakes up." Niki decided suddenly.

"Yea, let's go." Micah glanced around briefly, noticing the others who still lingered around the plaza. "Do you think she's all alone?"

Niki followed her son's gaze and spotted the little girl who had been huddling with them earlier. "I don't know. That man seems to be taking care of her…" She pointed to the Indian man kneeling beside the girl. "There's nothing we can do about her. I'm sure she has a family…"

Micah shook his head. "Why aren't they here then? Mom, maybe we could do something…"

"I don't think so, baby." She placed her hands on Micah's shoulders. "It isn't really my responsibility. I need to take care of you and my husband right now, okay?" Micah nodded understandingly, but continued looking at the girl. Niki sighed. "Fine, we'll go and find out who she is and see if there's anything we can do, but after that we're going to the hospital, okay?"

Micah's face lit up with an excited smile and he nodded enthusiastically before hurrying over to where the girl was. Niki followed a little more slowly.

"Hi." Micah chirped a greeting ignoring the fact that the crying girl may not actually want a conversation at the moment.

She pulled her head off of the man's shoulder to acknowledge the strangers as they approached. "Hi." Her mumbled response was heavy with exhausted tears.

"I'm sorry to bother you like this, but my son was a little concerned about her. He didn't see her parents anywhere and so we just wanted to make sure she was all right." Niki explained quickly as the man stood to greet her.

"Not at all, I'm glad to meet you…" He held out his hand.

"I'm Niki." She shook his head swiftly and gave him the most sparkling smile she could manage under the circumstances. "And my son, Micah."

"Mohinder Suresh." He returned the introduction as he released her hand. "And this is Molly Walker." He placed a protective hand on the girl's shoulder as she used the sleeve of her sweater to wipe away remaining traces of tears form her blotchy red cheeks.

"You made the elevator work earlier." Molly spoke to Micah directly, with a beaming smile. "That was neat."

Micah grinned, a little bashfully. "Yea, that was nothing really…can you do anything?"

While the children became engrossed in their own conversation, Niki and Mohinder lowered their voices so that they could have a conversation of their own. "Is she going to be okay?" Niki asked.

Mohinder shrugged. "She's been through a lot. I suppose we all have really."

"I'm not sure I really understand everything that happened here tonight." Niki shook her head. "It's all a little overwhelming. I just came here to find my son and then somehow we ended up here with all these other people, and the guy with the glowing hands…" She drifted off, trying to wrap her mind around everything that she had seen.

"I imagine it can be a bit confusing." Mohinder paused. "But you are not exactly an outsider in all of this. I saw you upstairs. You must have some sort of ability, or is it only in your son?"

Niki hesitated. "What do you know about it all?"

"A lot actually. I'm a doctor, well a geneticist. I've been following my father's research concerning people with mutating genes that provide them with unique gifts…" He explained, trying to make it sound as simple as possible.

Niki glanced down at her son. "Gifts like manipulating electronic devices with the touch of a hand?"

"Precisely."

Niki pursed her lips. "I'd like to talk to you more, but I don't really have the time right now. My husband was in one of those ambulances. He was shot…actually you saw him upstairs."

Mohinder nodded. He remembered the man in the hallway that he had been trying to help before Niki and her son had appeared and they had all crowded into the elevator to escape the guards. "Before you go, may I ask you what your gift is?"

"I don't know." Niki answered honestly. "I don't think I have a gift. It's more of a problem."

"A problem?"

"My psychiatrist called it a multiple personality disorder." She smirked. "It's not though. I'm not crazy."

"Of course you're not." He believed she had a power without question, though he was confused about what it was and he was desperately curious. Mohinder instinctively realized, however, that she wasn't ready to discuss her situation with a stranger. "Perhaps we will discuss it further at a later time."

"Maybe so." Niki reached for her son's hand. "Say 'goodbye' Micah."

"Could I give you my number in case you want to get in touch and discuss this situation?" Mohinder offered eagerly.

Niki nodded. "Sure, that's fine." Mohinder pulled a pen from his jacket pocket and she held out her hand for him to scribble his number down. He He He

When he finished she caught his gaze and smiled slightly. "You should probably know that my husband can walk through walls."

Mohinder's eyebrows lifted. "Impressive."

"It really is." Niki agreed. "I'll call you later."


	3. condition critical

_A/N: You're going to have to forgive me for the parts written with Hiro/Ando. I don't know Japanese, so I can't exactly write it. So, just use your imaginations and pretend that they are speaking in Japanese, especially in these parts when Hiro is back in time. Obviously he and the warriors should be speaking Japanese. Also, the part where Hiro is back in time is going to be difficult, so bear with me as I try to make it semi-decent. I have no idea what the writers are going to do with that next season, but I'm pretty positive it will be a hundred times better than whatever I come up with. I can't just ignore it though, so I've got to do my best to tackle the bizarre scenario. Thanks for the reviews that I've gotten so far, and please, please, I don't like to beg, but starting out new stories is always difficult and it's great to know if I'm at all on the right track, either with character portrayals, storylines, grammar or whatever. Thank you!!!_

_HIRO NAKAMURA_

_OUTSIDE KYOTO, JAPAN 1671_

Hiro Nakamura had seen many extraordinary things in the past few weeks. He had traveled to the future where an entire city had been devastated by a bomb, which actually turned out to be an exploding man. He had stolen an ancient legendary sword from a mob boss. He had learned a great family secret from his father. And he had finally fulfilled what he thought was his destiny when he drove a sword through a serial killer. At this moment, however, Hiro realized he had no idea what his destiny was.

Hiro's eyes stretched wide as he took in his surroundings. The wide open spaces of green hills and blue skies could have been explained by some random location in the world that he accidentally jumped to, but when horses started galloping up one hill and over another he knew he hadn't simply jumped to a far off area.

To one side of him, a herd of horses were being ridden by a swarm of Japanese warriors dressed gallantly in red, carrying matching banners and weapons. The warriors aimed their bows and arrows towards the sky as though they were preparing to fire. Hiro started running in the opposite direction, but soon stopped as a lone figure of a new horse and rider appeared at the top of the hill he was running towards. This rider carried a banner, branded by the symbol "godsend" that also branded Hiro's cherished sword; the one that had belonged to Takezo Kensei. Hiro was beginning to wish that he hadn't given the Kensei sword to Ando. The warriors in red had lowered their bows and were now drawing their swords, waving them wildly above their heads. All eyes were focused on the lone warrior on top of the hill, who had also drawn his sword.

"Dai pinch!" Hiro murmured a curse as he glanced back and forth between the two sides. He was trapped in the middle. He panicked instantly as the warriors erupted into a united battle cry. Every instinct that should have kicked in failed Hiro at that moment. He felt frozen, uncertain, and absolutely terrified; he felt nothing like a hero.

When his mind finally started processing what was happening, his first thought was to run, but there was nowhere to go. The next moment he remembered that he had a power that could get him out of there. Squeezing his eyes shut tightly, Hiro gritted her teeth and concentrated until he felt his cheeks begin to wobble and his head felt like it would explode. When he opened his eyes again though, nothing had changed. No, that wasn't entirely true, the horses had changed – they were moving closer to him. Still panicking, Hiro shut his eyes again and once more tried to teleport away, anywhere but where he was. Again though, his powers did nothing.

_I'm stuck!_ Following his last helpless instinct, Hiro drew out his sword, held it above his head, and released his best war cry from low in his throat.

_MOHINDER SURESH & MOLLY WALKER_

_NEW YORK_

"How are you feeling Molly?" Mohinder's head was swarming as he tried to logically process everything that had occurred in the past few hours. All he really wanted to do was sit down and try to sort everything out so he could give himself a suitable explanation, but at the moment he needed to make his primary concern the little girl who had somehow ended up in his care.

"I'm feeling okay." Molly gave him one of her full-toothed smiles, but it vanished only a moment later. "Dr. Suresh, are you going to have to put any more needles in me tonight?"

"No, not tonight." He assured her. "I think you have had plenty of needles for a while."

"Definitely." Her grin returned.

"I think what you need now is some sleep. We will take a cab back to my apartment…" He hesitated. _What am I supposed to do with a little girl? I am a doctor, not a babysitter. _She was gazing up at him with inquiring eyes, so he offered her a reassuring smile, though he was nowhere near confident in his next step. "Molly I have to be honest with you. I am not certain what to do with you. I have never met the people who were keeping you, except for Mr. Thompson, but now he…" He stopped suddenly, realizing he shouldn't tell the young girl what had happened to Thompson.

"He's dead." She finished for him, clearly much more aware than he realized.

"Yes, he is." Mohinder knelt beside her so they could be eye level. "And now I do not know who is in charge of you."

"Why can't you be in charge of me?" She questioned earnestly.

"I would like to be Molly, very much, but I am afraid it is not my place." Mohinder didn't know how to explain the complexity of the situation to her. "For now I will take you home with me, and I hope that someone will contact me eventually to give me directions regarding you."

She nodded. "I don't want to go back to your apartment though."

"Why not?" Mohinder frowned. "You can get some sleep and I will cook you something to eat…you will be safe there." He hoped he wasn't lying to her.

She shook her head. "It's not that. I want to go to the hospital."

"Are you hurt?" He instantly started inspecting all visible skin for signs of damage.

"No, I'm fine, but my hero is there, and I want to see him."

Mohinder sighed, understanding that she was referring to Matt Parkman, the man who Sylar had wounded with bullets. When Mohinder was checking him out, his condition was considerably poor. He didn't believe that Matt would make it through the night and he definitely didn't want Molly to have to watch her 'hero' die.

"Can we go visit him, Dr. Suresh?"

"Maybe tomorrow, Molly. I think it would be best if you rest tonight. You have had a very busy day."

She shook her head. "It's okay. I'm really not tired."

Mohinder hesitated, uncertain of how to convince the little girl of what he believed to be best for her. She wasn't his daughter. She wasn't his sister. She wasn't even really his responsibility, and yet somehow he had to take care of her. He had to protect her and to provide for her until something else could be arranged, and he was determined to do it well. "Molly, if I take you to the hospital to check on your hero, do you promise me that right after you see him we can return to my apartment where you will get some rest?"

She nodded, her eyes shining brightly as she realized that she had gotten her way. "I promise."

"Fine, we shall go to the hospital, but only for a short while." Mohinder decided. He smiled at her sweetly and started directing her away from the plaza and towards the mildly crowded street.

It was almost midnight, but it was New York City and taxicabs were still frequent, so they were easily able to hail one after only a few minutes of waiting. The hospital was only a ten-minute drive and Molly occupied the time by chatting wildly the entire time. Clearly Thompson hadn't been the most talkative company for her for the past couple of weeks and she had been storing up all her conversation, now eager to get it out.

"How can I do what I can do?"

Mohinder wondered how he could simplify a lecture of genetic mutations for an eight-year-old girl. "It has to do with the way the formation of your DNA…"

Molly pondered it very briefly before seeming to lose interest and moving onto her next question. "That boy that I met tonight told me that he can control machines. He's special, like me, isn't he?"

"It would appear so, yes."

"Are there other people who can do other special things?"

"Yes, there are many people with unique gifts." Mohinder told her.

"Like what?"

"Out of the ones I know of for certain, there is a man who can fly, and one who erase memories, and one who can walk through walls. And there is a girl who can heal herself…"

"What can my hero do?" Molly asked.

"Matt Parkman?" Mohinder smiled. "Your hero can read minds."

"Cool, so he can always hear what people are thinking?"

"I am not sure how it works exactly, but I imagine he can filter it so he does not always hear everything." Mohinder considered how fascinating it would be to read minds. Then he reconsidered as he thought about how potentially painful it could be. Some thoughts were meant to be silent.

"You said your sister was special like me. What could she do?"

Mohinder winced at the girl's innocent mention of his sister. She couldn't understand how painful it was for him to discuss his deceased sister; she was only expressing a natural curiosity and didn't mean to hurt him. "I…I am not certain of the specifics of my sister's condition."

"Oh?" Molly's brown eyes were still questioning.

"Yes, I…I was not even aware that I had a sister until a couple weeks ago."

"Why not?"

"As I told you before, my sister died before I was born and my parents never told me about her."

"Why not?"

Mohinder was losing patience with the little girl's questions, but luckily at that moment the cab pulled up in front of the hospital and he was saved from discussing his sister any further. Molly's attention was drawn to her hero.

"Will he be awake?" She asked anxiously as Mohinder helped her out of the cab.

"I hope so, but we will have to wait and see."

She reached out and took Mohinder's hand as they headed into the lobby of the hospital.

"We are here to visit Matt Parkman?" Mohinder told the receptionist at the front desk.

She checked something on the computer and then smiled warmly. "Unfortunately Mr. Parkman is still in emergency surgery."

Mohinder glanced down at Molly. "Do you know how long he will be?"

"I'm sorry Sir, but there is no way to be certain when, or even if, he will come out of surgery." Her eyes expressed practiced sympathy. "He is in extremely critical condition."

"Yes, I am aware of his condition…"

"Do you know where his family is? Anyone we could contact for him? In his condition it would be best if his family was contacted." The nurse explained.

Mohinder nodded. "Of course. I will call his wife and inform her of the situation."

"That would be a good idea." The nurse told him. "Is this her daughter?"

Molly's bright eyes began to water. "He's my hero."

The nurse didn't know what to say to the grieving child. Mohinder quickly tried to ease the difficulty of the situation. "Come on Molly, we can wait here until he is out of surgery."

"Really?"

"Absolutely, but if you start feeling tired then I want you to let me know and we will come back another time." He insisted as he led her over to the waiting area to have a seat.

"I want to wait." Molly was determined.

"I know you do, which is why I am letting you." Mohinder removed his jacket and rolled it into a ball. "Perhaps you can try and get some rest anyway. Use my jacket as a pillow."

Molly took it from him and made herself comfortable on one of the sofas in the waiting lounge. "If I fall asleep make sure you wake me up when he's ready to see me, okay?"

"I promise, Molly." Mohinder smiled at her kindly. "Now just try to sleep and not think about anything that has been happening today." She nodded to him, already yawning tiredly as she laid her head down on his bundled jacket. Mohinder waited for a moment, letting her rest in silence before pulling his cell phone from his pocket and searching for Matt Parkman's home number, which he had saved to his phone weeks ago when he first started contacting people from the list.


	4. pessimism

A/N: Thanks to MentallyTwisted, I caught my mistake of Angela's surprise over Linderman and corrected that. Thank you for the correction!

_NOAH & CLAIRE BENNET_

_NEW YORK_

"How're you doing in there Claire-Bear?"

Claire glanced in the mirror as her dad rapped his knuckles against the bathroom door to check on her. "I'm fine, dad. Just washing my face." She realized that she had been in the bathroom for longer than necessary, but for some reason she just wasn't ready to emerge yet. When she did she knew that she would be sitting on one bed in the cramped hotel room while her dad sat on the other, staring her down and waiting for her to 'talk' about how she was feeling and all that psychological crap. She couldn't handle that right now. It had been almost two hours since she had seen her uncle, her hero, blow up in the sky, but she hadn't cried yet. She felt like she should have been sobbing, but every time she wanted to her throat tightened and her eyes felt unnaturally dry. She decided it was her body's way of dealing with the pain, and perhaps it was better at this moment, because once she started she was certain she wouldn't be able to stop.

"I was thinking maybe I'd order some room service. Are you hungry?" He called through the door.

She rolled her eyes. _Good one, he's using food to bribe me out of hiding. _Fortunately for her dad, she was starving. Something about trying to save the world and then watching your own personal hero go nuclear in the atmosphere really set off a person's appetite. "Yea, I could definitely eat something."

"Want to come out and take a look at the menu?"

"I'll be out in a sec." Claire replied. She shut off the faucet and pressed her face into a fluffy white towel.

When she finally worked up the nerve to emerge from the sanctuary of the bathroom, her father was browsing through the room service menu while sitting on one of the small beds in the room. He glanced up at his little girl with a wide smile.

"Feeling a little better, Claire-Bear?"

Claire winced at the nickname, but masked her irritation with a practiced smile. _How do I express to him how I'm feeling? _She loved her father and he was trying to be there for her, but at this moment the endearing childhood nickname frustrated her inexplicably. She wanted him to be serious and harsh and tell her that everything was not okay and life was a disaster right now and that it may not get any better. She knew he wouldn't though. He would smile and offer her hugs and pretend that everything was fine no matter what happened. She had to love him for how much he cared, even if it was driving her crazy.

"What are you hungry for?" Mr. Bennett asked as she sat on the second bed in the room.

"Anything."

"Pizza?" Mr. Bennett suggested, picking out what he knew to be his daughter's comfort food. "With ice cream for dessert?"

She sighed. "Sure, that sounds good."

"All right, I'll order it then. Would you like anything else? Some soda or juice?"

"Sure, whatever." Claire leaned back against the headrest and crossed her arms over her stomach.

"Claire, do you want to talk about it?"

"No dad, I don't. I thought we decided to wait until tomorrow."

"We were going to discuss a plan tomorrow. We can still discuss how you're feeling though, tonight."

"No, thank you." Claire answered with a little bit of bitterness to her tone. She noticed that her dad's kind smile faltered and her guilt overpowered her bad mood. "I'm sorry daddy. Today has been insane." She sighed. "This whole month has been insane. Peter…" Thinking of him brought that aching dryness to her throat again, but she cleared her throat and tried to find the strength to continue. "Peter meant a lot to me, it's more than just the fact that he's related to me. He is my hero and he cares…I knew that he truly cared about me. He made me feel safe and now he's gone." She hated saying it, but setting herself up for the unrealistic possibility of him being okay, was too impossible for her to fathom at the moment. She couldn't bear to build her hopes up so high just to have them crushed.

"For now…"

"Dad, I appreciate the optimism, but I need realism right now." Claire told him firmly. "I don't know if Peter is ever coming back. Even if Peter miraculously manages to regenerate, it isn't a possibility for Nathan." She faltered slightly. "I didn't even like him very much, but he was my dad, like my actual biological dad, and now I'll never even get a chance to know him." Claire shook her head, quickly pulling herself together, tears were not on her agenda for that night. "I'm just going to need some time to process everything, okay?"

"Okay." Her dad nodded. "I'll order the pizza."

"Thank you." Claire smiled at his understanding and flipped on the television as a distraction as her dad dialed room service. Silently she began to formulate a plan. _I'm sorry daddy, I know it will hurt you and you won't understand, but hopefully in time you will realize that I know what I'm doing. _

_ANGELA PETRELLI_

_SOMEWHERE OVER THE ATLANTIC OCEAN_

Angela Petrelli had been boarding the private jet with her son, preparing to fly a safe distance away from the city when he changed his mind. Years of plans and preparations ruined due to a split second emotional decision. She had had concerns about his weakness, but everyone involved in the scheme had been so positive that he was the right choice.

"_Nathan don't even think about going after her." Angela's ferocious black eyes had stared down her eldest son as though she were trying to burn the compassion out of him. _

"_Mom, this isn't about her," Nathan argued. _

"_Do you honestly expect me to believe that you are not thinking about running after your smart-mouth illegitimate daughter, right now?" Angela snapped._

_Nathan frowned at her bluntness. "No. I'm thinking about Peter. He is my brother, and what we're doing…what you want me to do…it isn't right." _

"_It's politics Nathan." _

"_No mom, this isn't about politics. This is about family and what is right." Nathan took a step away from her. _

"_Nathan, stop." She reached out to him as he moved further away from the jet. "Think of Heidi and the boys. Think about the world they live in…you are responsible for making this city a better place for them." _

"_By letting my baby brother blow up a city?" Nathan shook his head. "Heidi wouldn't love me for being that man." _

"_Nathan think about this." _

"_I have thought about it. And do you know what I've decided? I'm being stupid and immature and cowardly…my sixteen-year-old daughter is more capable than I am of realizing what to do. She is willing to do what is impossible for the better good. What kind of dad would I be if I let her make that choice?" Nathan took another step back. _

"_Nathan, no…" Angela panicked as she realized that she was losing her son. _

"_Sorry mom, I have to save the world." He gave her a perfect politician grin and launched himself into the air. _

Reliving her son's escape, Angela silently cursed him now as she gazed out of the window in her private jet, which was headed for Paris, France. For so many years she had been diligent in her duty to train her eldest son to be careful, political, confident, and most of all, easily pliable to her wishes. Peter had always been more difficult. He was too sweet-tempered and kind-hearted to be involved in her or Nathan's campaign manners. The legal life was not for him. He chose to be a nurse, desperately trying to make everyone's lives better even in their dying moments, which was quite perfect really, considering the end she planned for him.

When Linderman had first approached Angela with the plan to destroy New York City in order to control the rebuilding process politically and economically, she had been hesitant to agree. Involving her sons in such a deep plan could be dangerous to their family unit. After weeks of discussing the details with Linderman and his associates though, she realized that his vision of the future was sublime and she felt proud to be a part of it, and further more to involve her children in it. Nathan was only ten at that time. Peter was still a toddler. Even at their young ages though, she knew that their destines were bigger than they could ever understand. She knew that they wouldn't accept it and so she never told them. She never even told them about their gifts. It was something that they had to learn about in their own time so they could develop them in their own way. Peter had obviously embraced his much more easily, but Nathan had known about his longer; longer perhaps than even she would ever know. He was an expert at keeping secrets when he wanted to.

When Linderman had finally filled Nathan in on his planned future, Nathan had accepted it exactly as a trained politician. Angela couldn't have been more proud of his reaction, but she should have known that deep down he was too much like his brother. He let the people in his life have too much influence on his emotions. She should have seen that he would fail in his duty. She should have been prepared, but her love for her sons blinded what she knew was true.

The chirping of her cell phone pulled Angela from her hopeless reverie. With a brief glance at the caller ID, she flipped open the phone. "I am on my way."

"And Nathan?"

Angela expertly hid the emotion from her voice. "He is not with me. He went to stop Peter."

"Peter was not stopped though. He exploded. Not as we would have liked of course, but he did explode."

"Yes, I am aware." Angela sighed. "I saw the explosion happen from the window of my jet."

"You do realize that this probably means that Nathan is dead."

"Not necessarily."

"If Peter was unable to control his abilities, Nathan would have had to fly him in the sky, undoubtedly being caught in the explosion."

"I know." Angela was trying not to face the fact that both of her sons were most likely dead. "Do we have a new plan since this explosion did not go well."

"Linderman is dead."

"Yes, I am aware of that fact." Angela gasped. "Though, it is an unfortunate situation, we must move on. Have we learned how he died yet?"

"At this time we do not have the specifics, but it clearly changes things. We will be convening as soon as you arrive to discuss what to do next."

"Very well, I will see you shortly."

"One more question…"

"Yes?"

"What do you intend to tell Nathan's family?"

Angela hesitated. "Until we know that he is dead for certain I will tell them nothing. Heidi and the boys are in DC. Nathan was supposed to have been joining them this evening. When he doesn't show, she'll assume he was caught up with work."

"And when we learn that he is dead?"

"_If_ we learn that he is dead, I will tell Heidi that there was an accident, perhaps a plane crash. She will be devastated, but she will never know the truth." Angela decided swiftly.

"Fine." And with a click the caller hung up, leaving Angela alone again with her thoughts.


	5. survivor

_HEIDI PETRELLI_

_WASHINGTON DC_

"Yes? Hello? Nathan?" Heidi Petrelli answered her cell phone before the first ring had even been completed.

"No, Heidi it's…I was calling you in an attempt to connect with Nathan, but clearly you're the wrong person to call." The caller was Rob Simmons, Nathan's campaign manager who managed the majority of Nathan's plans.

"You mean he's not with you?"

"No, I haven't seen him for a couple hours. He was supposed to meet me at the hanger so we could fly over to DC to meet you, but he never showed." Rob told her.

"He never showed? Where is he? I've been going out of my mind. He was supposed to be here a couple hours ago, I assumed he had been held up with you, but you haven't even seen him…" Nervous tears started clouding up her bright eyes. Every panicked thought that she had tried to push from her mind for the past couple of hours resurfaced and started overwhelming her. "Where is he?" Her voice broke and tears began to stream down her face.

"I'm sure he's fine Heidi. I better go. I'll keep you updated, and make sure he calls me as soon as he gets home…"

Heidi hung up the phone without a 'goodbye' and dropped into the nearest armchair. She had been pacing for almost thirty minutes, partially because she was so nervous, but also because she was still getting use to being able to walk again and she wanted to take advantage of the new strength in her legs. Hearing that her fears about Nathan might have just been confirmed though immediately killed all of her strength and she felt as though she could no longer stand.

"Mommy…"

Heidi turned at the sound of her son's voice in the doorway of the sitting room. "Simon, aren't you supposed to be in bed?" She quickly wiped at her eyes, trying to hide the evidence of her hysterical tears from her child.

"Why are you crying?" Simon came to his mother's side with concern in his big, innocent eyes.

"Oh sweetie, mommies just need to cry sometimes." Heidi tried to offer her some comfort through carefully created lies, hoping he wouldn't read through her story and realize that she was crying for his father.

"Are you hurt?" He persisted.

"No, I'm not hurt."

"Are you sick?"

Heidi smiled. "No, sweetie, I'm fine. Come here and give me a hug and then go on back to bed, okay?" She held her arms out and her son fell into them quickly.

"Feel better mommy." Simon gave his mother a sweet peck on the cheek before scurrying out of the room and back to the bedroom he was sharing with his brother at the town home they owned in DC.

When she was alone again, Heidi forced herself back to her feet, determined to be strong despite the situation. She didn't know where her husband was, or why he wasn't where he was supposed to be, but she felt certain in her heart that he was alive. Deciding to take matters into her own hands, Heidi began calling the people closest to Nathan; anyone she could think of who might be able to give her a clue about her husband's whereabouts.

Four rings sounded before the answering machine picked up. Heidi listened to it play out, tapping her foot impatiently. When the beep sounded she left a hurried message. "Peter, it's Heidi. Are you with Nathan? Do you know where he is? Please call me!" And she hung up, almost immediately dialing her mother-in-law's number. That also gave her a machine, which she left another message on. She prepared to call his secretary, who would have most likely been useless, but she was desperate and running out of options. Nathan didn't exactly have a wide circle of close acquaintances for her to call. Before she had a chance to dial the number though, she heard a thud outside the front door.

She heard nothing else for a minute and wondered if it had been her imagination, but her curiosity won over and she hurried to the front door. First she checked through the peephole, but saw nothing, and once again credited the noise to her imagination. Still, though, she opened the door, slowly, and peeked her head outside.

"Oh my god…" Heidi gasped at the sight of her husband slumped on the steps leading up to the front door of their home. "Nathan!"

"Heidi…" Nathan glanced up at her, though lifting his head seemed to be a great effort for him. "I'm so sorry…" He broke into a fit of dry coughing and his head dropped back to the ground.

"Nathan, what happened?" Heidi rushed to his side, sitting on the steps and lifting his head into her lap. "Can you stand? I should call someone…your mother or Rob…"

"No…" Nathan coughed again. "I'll be fine." His words were a little less raspy now, but he still seemed weak. "I just need to get inside."

"Can you stand?" Heidi stood and tried to help Nathan to his feet. He used the railing for balance, but he still struggled to stand fully. When he was on his feet Heidi was finally able to notice the state of his clothing. His once perfectly pressed suit was covered in tears and scorch marks. "What's happened to you?"

"It's a long story." Nathan muttered. He leaned on his wife as she helped him through the door and into the sitting room. The moment he was near the couch, he collapsed. "I'm going to tell you everything…"


	6. things in common

_A/N: thanks for all the reviews! I hope everyone is enjoying reading this story as much as I'm enjoying writing it. I know it's lame to ask, but please reviews! Reviews are always very encouraging for new stories. And any suggestions, criticisms, etc. I also enjoy hearing. Anything to make me a better writer! Thanks!_

_NOAH & CLAIRE BENNET_

_HOTEL, NEW YORK _

After the pizza and in-room movie that Mr. Bennett had insisted they watch, still in an attempt to calm down his daughter, he had finally drifted off to sleep and she had pretended to do the same. Claire had spent the past couple of hours perfecting her plan and sleep was not a part of it. She let her father sleep for forty solid minutes before she dared to slip out of her bed. She couldn't risk him waking up and stopping her; he wouldn't understand.

At a quarter to one, Claire finally had worked up the courage to climb out of bed. When she and her father had come to the hotel, they hadn't taken the time to return to the Petrelli's house to pack her stuff, so she didn't have any luggage. She had been sleeping in her clothes, which meant all she had to do was pull on her boots and jacket, sneak some cash from her dad's wallet, grab her purse and creep out of the hotel room as silently as possible. She had already prepared a note for her dad, which she placed beneath his wallet on the table beside his bed. Hopefully he would at least try to understand what she said before he attempted to chase her down. It was unlikely, but she needed him to let her go.

Outside the hotel, Claire scanned the dark city streets for a taxi. When she didn't see any immediately she started running down the sidewalk, hoping she could figure out where she was and how to get to where she wanted to go before her father woke up. The heals of her black leather boots pounded rhythmically against the pavement as her long curls whipped into her face, but her breathing was steady, which she contributed to the excellent shape that cheerleading demanded of her. She didn't slow down. She didn't have the time.

She heard a car approaching from behind and Claire spun around hopefully. She smiled when she realized it was a cab and started waving to get the driver's attention. The cab pulled over and she hastily climbed into the backseat, happy to be off the street. Even if she was basically unable to die, she didn't want to risk any number of other things that could happen to girls out alone after dark in a big and unfamiliar city.

"Where to, Miss?" The driver questioned with a heavy Brooklyn accent.

"The nearest hospital to Kirby Plaza." Claire instructed.

"Right away. That's not too far from here." He glanced at her in the rearview mirror. "Isn't it kind of late for you to be out roaming by yourself, little lady?"

"I'm tougher than I look." Claire muttered.

"Is there some kind of emergency? What're you heading to the hospital for?"

She rolled her eyes at the cabby's over-curious personality. "I'm visiting a friend."

"At one o'clock in the morning?"

"Yep." She spoke shortly, hoping he would get the hint and stop talking to her. He did, and she was able to spend the rest of the drive in silence.

When the driver pulled up in front of the hospital, Claire paid him quickly, thanked him for the ride, and then darted out of the cab and into the lobby of the ER. It was the only place she could think about going. Claire wasn't certain of her long-term plan, but she knew she needed to find someone who could be on her side. He was the only person she could think of.

_NIKI & MICAH SANDERS_

_HOSPITAL, NEW YORK CITY_

"Hey little man," DL Hawkins turned his head slowly in the hospital bed where he was recovering after his emergency surgery.

"Hi, Dad." Micah grinned at his father, who had come out of surgery surprisingly well. The bullet in his shoulder had been removed and the doctors said he would recover fine, though it would take a couple of weeks before he felt up to his old self again.

"How's your mom doing?" DL asked his son, as if his wife were standing right beside him. "Are you taking good care of her?"

"I'm trying." Micah replied seriously.

Niki smiled. "It's only been a few hours, DL."

"Yea, but we all know how quickly you manage to get into trouble." DL started to laugh, but it turned into a harsh cough.

Niki frowned and anxiously leaned over her husband, pressing her hand to his cheek gently. "Should I call the doctor?"

"No, I'm fine." He reached out for her hand and she gave it to him, squeezing reassuringly. "Really, you and Micah should check into a hotel and get some sleep. Don't worry about me."

"I don't want to leave you." Niki felt tears burning in her eyes, but she blinked them away, determined to remain strong for her son and her injured husband.

DL understood the fear behind her eyes and he tugged on her hand, motioning for her to lean down towards him. "I'm going to pull through this, and I'll be fine. Your focus needs to be on Micah right now." He had lowered his voice to a whisper, and Micah stepped away, realizing that his dad didn't want him to overhear. "God knows what he's been through the past few days. He needs his mother to be strong right now."

Niki nodded, forcing herself to be brave. "I love you so much." She buried her head against his good shoulder, pressing her forehead into his cheek.

"I know. I love you. You know that I do, and you know that I would like nothing more than to be with my family right now, but Micah is the priority." DL hesitated. "Also, we should start looking into this whole Linderman thing a little more; figure out what he had to do with what happened tonight…"

"That can wait." Niki insisted. "Just focus on getting better right now."

"I will." DL turned his head so he could kiss her cheek. "Take care of our son."

"I will." Niki pressed her lips to his briefly before straightening up and turning to her son. "Say goodnight to your dad."

Micah moved forward and gave his dad a careful hug.

"I love you son." DL grinned at the boy as he stepped back beside his mom.

"Love you too dad." Micah's grin was full from ear to ear, but his big eyes expressed concern.

"We'll be back in the morning." Niki assured him.

"It's almost morning now." DL told her. "Come back after you've gotten some sleep, okay?" Niki and Micah nodded obediently and took hands as they left the hospital room.

"Mom," Micah started talking once they had walked the corridor and rounded the corner, putting enough distance between themselves and his dad. "What happened tonight?"

"I don't know Micah."

"Who were all those people?"

"I don't know."

"Did that guy really explode?"

"I don't know Micah." Niki snapped a little more than she had intended to and instantly regretted it. Regardless of the stress of the situation, she would not take it out on her son. "I'm sorry baby." Niki stopped walking suddenly and knelt to be eyelevel with her son. "I wish I had answers for you, but I really don't know what happened tonight. Trust me, I wish I did."

"It's okay, mom." Micah gave her one of his encouraging smiles and placed his hands on her shoulders. "We'll figure it out later, with dad."

Niki smiled at him, feeling that if she tried to speak, her emotions might win over and she would break into unstoppable tears. Rising to her feet again, Niki placed her arm around Micah's shoulders and directed him out into the ER waiting room. "Wait here and I'll go hail a cab, okay?"

Micah nodded and prepared to take a seat when he realized who was already there. He tugged on his mom's sleeve. "Look!"

She stopped at the door of the hospital and turned to the waiting area, following her son's gaze. "Dr. Suresh, right?"

Mohinder glanced up at the blonde and her son with a surprised smile. "Yes, and you are Niki, correct?"

Niki nodded and approached him. Micah tagged behind eagerly, glancing curiously over at the sofa where Molly had finally drifted off to sleep.

"How is your husband?" Mohinder stood politely to greet the woman.

"He came through surgery fine." Niki told him, motioning for him to take his seat again. "He's resting now, but the doctors say he should heal fine."

"That's good news." Mohinder smiled sincerely as Niki took a seat beside him. "Are you going to stay here for the night?"

"Actually, no, we were just heading out to find a hotel. It's been kind of a rough couple of days for Micah…" She glanced at her son who had taken the seat next to her.

Mohinder wanted to press the matter, but again felt uncomfortable questioning a stranger about her personal life when she may not be ready to share. "Perhaps I will see you tomorrow then, when you return to see your husband."

Niki nodded. "Will you be here?"

"It depends."

"I'm sorry, I never asked, who are you here for?"

"Oh, a man who was injured at the plaza. His name is Matt Parkman." Mohinder informed her. "The girl is rather attached to him, and she won't leave until she is certain that he is going to recover fully."

Niki smiled. "I hope for her sake that he does then." She paused. "Parkman…that sounds familiar." She shook her head, ignoring the familiar tick in her mind. "Anyway, I need to get my son to a hotel, but I'll look forward to maybe having that chat with you tomorrow."

He nodded. "Absolutely…"

Their attention was drawn to a conversation at the front desk. It had started rather abruptly as a young blonde had rushed through the front doors and spoke, rather loudly to the receptionist, asking to see Mr. Matt Parkman.

"I'm sorry, but he is still in surgery." Came the receptionist's soft reply. "If you like you may wait with the others."

"The others?"

Mohinder and Niki watched as the girl hesitated and then glanced slowly over her shoulder towards the chairs, seeming a little afraid of who she might find waiting there. When she spotted them looking back at her she offered a nervous little smile.

"Wasn't she at the plaza earlier tonight?" Niki asked quietly.

Mohinder nodded. "She is the cheerleader." Ignoring the confusion on Niki and Micah's faces, he stood quickly and offered her a warm smile, hoping she would take it as an invitation to approach. She did.

"Hi…are you Mr. Parkman's family?" She asked tentatively. When everyone shook their heads, the blonde seemed to let out a sigh of relief. "Good. I mean, he should have family here, but I hadn't really thought of what I would say to them if I ran across them. I just really need to see him…" She stopped, realizing that saying this much to strangers wasn't necessary. She frowned suddenly, scrutinizing Mohinder with her eyes. "Have I seen you somewhere before?"

He nodded, "Probably earlier tonight."

"You were at Kirby Plaza too?" She thought about it for a minute and then nodded. "I saw you with my dad…"

"Yes, I do know your father, Miss Bennett."

"You know who I am?"

"I actually know more about you then you might think. I know you are special." Mohinder continued.

"Special?" The girl shrugged. "I'm not that special."

Micah smiled at her. "Don't worry. We're special too."

Her eyes widened. "All of you?"

"Well, not me. I am a geneticist. My name is Dr. Suresh…" He held out his hand quickly and she shook it.

"Dr. Suresh?" She nodded. "I think I read a book by a Dr. Suresh."

"That was my father's book."

"It was interesting."

"Did you find that you could relate to any of it, Miss Bennett?"

"Call me Claire." She corrected him. "And yea, I did actually. How do you know about me though?" Claire was quickly realizing that a lot more people were involved in the complex conspiracy of special 'abilities' than she ever realized.

"I have been following my father's research to discover many people with special gifts, such as yours." He motioned to Micah and Niki. "And theirs."

"Yeah? So what can you guys do?" Claire asked the mother and son.

Micah glanced up at his mother who nodded approvingly before he answered. "I talk to machines."

"Talk to them?"

"I can tell them what I want them to do." He smiled a little.

"Cool." Claire grinned.

"I don't mean to interrupt, but may I inquire as to why you were looking for Mr. Parkman?" Mohinder asked.

"It's sort of complicated. I don't really have anywhere to go right now. There are some things that I need to do that my dad doesn't understand…I can't have him tagging along right now. It's not safe for him…" She thought of her dad that she had left alone at the hotel and wondered what his reaction would be when he discovered her note of explanation.

"What's not safe?" Niki spoke up.

"I don't really know how to explain it to people that don't know me…but my life's been a little mixed up the past few weeks. My dad wants me to return to Texas and try to settle back down with our family, but I can't leave, not now. I have to do something and he doesn't want to accept that I don't belong with him anymore." She stopped herself again. "I'm sorry. This really isn't your problem. I don't mean to put it all on you or anything."

"I asked." Niki reminded her.

"Why do you think you do not belong with your father?" Mohinder pressed.

"Like I said, my life's a little complicated." Claire couldn't continue the conversation right now. She needed a plan. Originally her plan had been to contact Matt, someone who she knew was special like her and might be able to help her more than her dad could, but now that he was so crucially injured she didn't know what to do. What could a sixteen-year-old do on her own in this situation?

"How would Mr. Parkman be able to help you with this complication?"

"I don't know if he could, but he was the only person that I knew of who was special like me, other than…" She stopped, hoping the others wouldn't make her continue that thought.

"Other than who?" Clearly they weren't paying attention to the emotional shift in her mood.

"Peter." She barely spoke the name out loud. It was hard to say. "Or Nathan."

"Who's Peter?" Niki piped up.

Mohinder noticed the pain in Claire's eyes and spoke to Niki softly. "Peter was the young man at the plaza."

"The one who exploded?" Micah asked.

"Yes." Mohinder winced at how bluntly the child phrased it, but he couldn't understand the situation.

"Anyway, I need someone who can help me figure out what to do now, because I'm not ready to give up on him. He's special. He's a survivor." Somehow talking to these people, rather than her father, had given Claire a stronger need to believe optimistically about Peter's survival. It was as though she was just realizing that she hadn't actually given up on him. It was actually very opposite. She had in some small way known that by coming to find someone to help her, what she really needed was someone to help her find Peter.

"Claire, I know that Peter is more than capable of coming out of difficult situations, I've seen it happen a couple times now, but he did explode…" Mohinder tried to reason with her.

"He's different. You don't understand."

"I know that he is special. And I have seen that he is clearly somehow able to recover from death because a couple days ago I brought him home, dead, but tonight he was alive again…"

Claire gasped. "That's where I saw you; at the Petrelli's house, the day that Peter died."

"You were there?" Mohinder questioned.

"I was on the stairs when you brought him in. I was supposed to be up in my room packing, but I heard the doorbell and thought that Peter had finally come home, but it was you, bringing him in." She smiled. "Everyone thought he was dead, but it was just the glass in his skull."

"Excuse me?" Niki was not following the conversation very well.

"Once I pulled it out, he regenerated." Claire explained triumphantly.

"Regeneration?" Mohinder gasped. "I wasn't aware he had acquired that ability. I wonder who he picked that one up from…"

Claire cleared her throat a little awkwardly. "Umm…he got that from me. The first time we met he saved my life at my homecoming game, and then I guess I saved his because he fell off a building and survived. He said it was because I was there."

Mohinder nodded, a look of recognition lighting his eyes. "You heal."

"I do." Claire confirmed, leaving Niki and Micah staring in amazed shock. "And that's how I know that he's going to survive this explosion. He has the power to heal himself. If I can live through Ted's nuclear explosion, then Peter can live through his own."

Mohinder didn't question her optimism again. Instead he just smiled at her, nodding slowly. "I am certain Peter would appreciate your faith in him."

"I can't do this alone." Claire murmured. "I don't think Mr. Parkman's going to be able to help me."

"I wish I could help you Claire, I do, but I already have so many things requiring my attention…" Mohinder glanced at Molly who was still sleeping soundly. "Your father's company was keeping her locked up for a purpose, which I still must discover. She's my responsibility. She has no one else."

"Neither do I." Claire stated.

"I beg your pardon?"

"The man who you refer to as my father…he's not."

Mohinder frowned. "I'm sorry, I don't understand. All this time he has been so insisted on keeping you safe."

"He loves me." Claire agreed. "He's taken care of me for the past fourteen years, but he's not my real father. He only took me in so his company could keep a close watch on me to see if I ever developed any abilities, then he was instructed to return me."

Mohinder's jaw dropped a little.

"My real father most likely is dead. You know him actually. He was there tonight." Claire paused and then continued. "Nathan Petrelli is my father."

"Which makes Peter your uncle…"

"They're all I have. I'm dangerous to my other family, which is why my dad must go back to Texas without me. I need to stay here and find out the truth behind what happened tonight and why." She paused again. "Peter's explosion wasn't a coincidence. It's been planned from the beginning by a man named Linderman."

"Linderman?" Niki snapped to attention.

"Do you know him?"

"He's the one who kidnapped my son two days ago." She explained.

"He is also the man behind the company that was keeping Molly." Mohinder added. He looked at Claire seriously. "It seems we all have a lot more in common then we realized."


	7. mostly full disclosure

_A/N: as always thanks for all the reviews! I really appreciate it when readers tell me what sort of particular things they like about my story, or what they're hoping for in upcoming chapters. It's like audience participation of sorts, and honestly I take into consideration what people to have to say! For instance, if there are certain characters you would like to see more of, or certain character interactions you'd like to see, let me know! The next section will be more Hiro, which I'm having a difficult time with so it might take a little while, but I'll try to have it up soon! Please continue to read and enjoy! THANKS!_

_NATHAN & HEIDI PETRELLI_

_NEW YORK_

After being somewhat rejuvenated by three glasses of water and a half a turkey sandwich, which Heidi eagerly made for him, Nathan had began the difficult process of explaining things to his wife. He had decided to start at the beginning and do his best to fill in all the important details of the past few weeks. Heidi had taken the shocking news rather well, considering the outrageous nature. Of course, when he had finished telling her most everything that had come to his mind leading up to what happened tonight, she had more than a couple of questions to further clarify her growing disbelief and confusion before he continued.

"So…Peter was never in a rehab facility for depression?"

"No." Nathan shook his head. "Peter was never suffering from any sort of depressive disorder and he never tried to commit suicide."

"Then you lied to everyone…to the press and to your family…" Heidi's bright eyes watered with tears, though Nathan couldn't tell if she was sad or just frustrated. "Poor Peter. I can't imagine what he must have been feeling knowing that everyone thought he was mentally ill, when really his brother was just lying to make himself look better."

"Peter understands what it takes to be a part of this family." Nathan stated.

"And I had thought that you understood what it takes to be in charge of this family." Heidi retorted. She began to pace in front of the couch. "People look up to you. They respect you and expect that you will do the right thing for not only your family, but for the city! You are a politician Nathan, and I understand that you must make some sacrifices for your chosen profession, but don't forget that you are first and foremost a husband and father."

"I know, Heidi." Nathan stood, catching his wife by her hands and pulling her back to the couch. "I agree that the lie I told about Peter may not have been in his best interest, but you have to understand why I did it."

"Because you were trying to save yourself from public humiliation." Heidi filled in for him. "You were afraid that if people learned the truth, they wouldn't vote for you in congress."

"Yes." Nathan confirmed what she had said. "Can't you understand that?"

Heidi was silent.

"I can see in your expression that you understand exactly why I didn't tell anyone the truth. I'm a freak!" Nathan exclaimed, rather loudly.

"Keep your voice down." Heidi scolded. "You'll wake the children."

"Sorry." He lowered his voice quickly. "It's just, aren't you scared of me? Or disgusted with me or something?"

"No."

"Heidi, I just told you that I can fly, like a bird, or superman or something. Please have some sort of response!"

"Fine, yes I am upset with you. I am disappointed that you never trusted me enough to tell me the truth about you and Peter. I am still confused about how this is all possible, but Nathan you are my husband. I love you more than anyone else on the planet, and nothing about you could make me change my mind."

_I doubt that._ Nathan briefly let his mind contemplate everything that he had neglected to tell her, including his one-night stand with the blonde woman in Las Vegas, and the illegitimate daughter who had suddenly shown up after fourteen years of thinking she was dead. He considered telling her the whole truth right then and there, but seeing the expression of complete trust and adoration in his wife's eyes he decided against it. "I love you too."

"Okay, I know there's more you want to tell me, so I'm going to try and ignore all the questions I have and let you finish." Heidi sat back on the couch, giving her husband complete focus.

"There is a lot about what happened tonight that won't be able to be explained easily. I'm just going to tell you the important points and the rest I will fill in for you over time." Nathan decided. She didn't argue, obviously trusting her husband to tell her everything when he was ready. "First of all, you have to understand about Peter's special ability."

"You already mentioned that he has more than one…"

"Well, in a way. His ability is that he absorbs the abilities of others. So he really only has one ability of his own, but then he has numerous others that he has obtained from other people with abilities."

"How many people are there?" Heidi interrupted.

Nathan looked confused.

"How many other people have special abilities like you and Peter?"

"I don't know. There are only a few that I know about for sure. The point is, Peter has multiple powers from each person he has come in contact with. Most recently he met a man who had some sort of radiation power, which Peter was unable to control."

"Oh my god…what happened?" Heidi could tell by the heavy tone in Nathan's voice that something awful had occurred that evening.

"A couple of weeks ago Peter had a vision of himself exploding like an atomic bomb." Nathan began diving into the tricky details of his brother's explosion. "He has been working on trying to control this power, and his others, so that the explosion would not happen. A couple of days ago, however, I learned that his vision was part of an insane plot created by Linderman."

"Linderman?" Heidi echoed.

"Yes. He wanted my brother to blow up the city so that after I was elected I could unite the city…or something ridiculous." Nathan shook his head. "To be perfectly honest, I considered it."

"You didn't!"

"I did."

"You couldn't actually have considered letting your own brother explode just to save your political standing?" Heidi shook her head. "I can't believe that."

"I know, it was a horrible thing for me to even think about, but I did, for a short time, but then I realized how wrong the entire scheme was and abandoned it. Unfortunately, I was still too late to prevent the explosion entirely. By the time I arrived, his hands had already begun to burn and he was not going to be able to control it in time to save the city, so I did what I had to do…I flew him into the atmosphere, far enough way not to cause harm to anyone."

"You did what?" Heidi was on her feet again. Nathan wasn't quite sure what she was upset about at this moment, but the next minute she cleared up her shock. "Nathan, you could have been killed!"

"You're upset because you're worried about me?" Nathan smiled.

"Of course I'm worried! How could I not be? Were you even thinking about what you were doing?"

Nathan nodded. "Yes." _I thought that I was going to die. _"Saving Peter was all that mattered. How could I live with myself, knowing that I had let my brother murder thousands of people? He would never recover from something like that and it would be my fault."

Heidi took a seat again. "I suppose that makes sense."

_Thank you Claire. _Nathan remembered the speech his daughter had given him before she jumped out the window to escape from him. He realized that she was the main reason he had gotten the courage to go after Peter. He really needed to talk to her.

"So, how did you survive? You said that Peter exploded. Shouldn't you have exploded then too?"

"Once we had passed the bounds of the atmosphere Peter started shoving me away. I didn't want to leave him, but he insisted that he was strong enough on his own and so I left. I flew as fast as I could and didn't look back. I just abandoned my brother…" Nathan felt himself tearing up and wished he could be stronger at this moment, but after everything that had happened, all he wanted was an excuse to cry and not be considered pathetic.

"If you had stayed, you would have died." Heidi reminded him. "Peter wouldn't have lived with himself if that had happened either."

Nathan smiled at her slightly for attempting to cheer him up. "Anyway, I flew straight here to see you. I didn't know what else to do. Everything just feels so hopeless right now…everything that I have been trying to do with my campaign…"

"Nathan stop." Heidi took her husband's hands and held them firmly in her own. "You have been elected to be a part of the United States Congress, and you are going to serve wisely and make me and this city proud."

"How can I be a congressman if I can't even take care of my family?" He gave up resisting the tears and let himself cry.

"You do take care of your family. You are a loving and responsible father, and the most considerate husband a woman could ask for, not to mention you almost gave your life for your brother tonight." Heidi moved closer to him and embraced him, encouraging him to rest his head on her shoulder as he continued to cry. "Things might seem impossible right now, but we're going to get through this, together, as a family."

"Are you sure you want to be a part of this? I don't know what's going to happen next Heidi. It could be dangerous for you and for the kids…"

Heidi kissed him softly on the cheek. "I can handle it. I may not have any sort of super powers, but I am strong and I am determined not to let my husband suffer through anything alone." She was quiet for a minute. "As for the children, perhaps we should send them to stay with your mother for a little while…"

"No." Nathan snapped, quickly lifting his head from her shoulder and staring at her firmly.

"What's wrong?" Heidi's perfectly shaped eyebrows slanted knowingly. "What haven't you told me, Nathan?"

"My mother cannot be trusted right now."


	8. he is alive

_HIRO NAKAMURA_

_KYOTO, JAPAN 1671_

Opening his eyes felt like the most difficult task Hiro had ever attempted. It took him almost five whole minutes to force his eyelids to separate and then stay open against the heavy natural urge to let them slip shut again. When he finally did manage to keep his eyes open, all he could see was darkness. His head throbbed with pain and every inch of his limbs felt sore. Instinct told him to move and take in his surroundings, but his body refused to cooperate. The most he could do was turn his head slightly from side to side, which gave him a partial view of the darkness, occasionally broken up by thin strips of light across what looked like a cement floor. From his position he couldn't see where the light came from, but he imagined it must be from windows of some sort, somewhere behind and above where he was lying.

The last thing Hiro remembered was holding his sword firmly and courageously above his head, trying to decide if he would have better luck with the single warrior in black, or the herd of warriors in red. Neither side looked very friendly, but in the end, Hiro had decided that one warrior would be better than a whole group. Before he had a chance to move at all though, he had felt something hard slam into his skull and he had dropped to the ground, blacking out instantly. Now he found himself in a dark room, likely some form of dungeon, and he hadn't a clue as to who had taken him captive.

After lying still for nearly ten minutes, Hiro's head began to clear a little. The throbbing at least had started to subside and though his body still ached he felt as though he might be able to move if he tried. He didn't try quite yet though, he needed to think a bit first.

_How did I get here? _Hiro felt his glasses sliding down his nose and was impressed that he had managed to keep them on at all considering what his captors must have put him through, considering the pain he was in. _I really should work on mastering my powers. Maybe I really do need my sword in order to control them._ He turned his head to the side again, trying to adjust to the dim lighting.

Finally working up the energy to move a little, Hiro started slowly stretching out his legs, feeling the hard pavement beneath his bare feet. _Where are my shoes? _He wondered suddenly, noticing for the first time that they were missing. Stretching out further, Hiro tried moving his arms as well, but realized they were chained, either to the wall or the floor, he couldn't tell for sure. Wriggling his wrists briefly to see how tight the chains were, Hiro eventually had to give up.

_I wish Ando were here. _He couldn't help missing his friend in this situation, but deep down Hiro was glad that he had insisted that Ando stay behind before returning to New York. If his friend had accompanied him, Sylar most likely would have killed him, and besides, Hiro wasn't even sure if he had stopped the explosion, so New York could be gone. _Did I fail? _

_MOHINDER SURESH, CLAIRE BENNETT, & MOLLY WALKER_

_NEW YORK_

"I'm sorry my apartment is not in better order…" Mohinder dropped his eyes, a little embarrassed, as he opened the door to his guests.

Claire tried not to show her surprise at the disarray of the small apartment as she stepped through the door. "It's fine, really…I just appreciate you letting me stay with you."

"Well, as you might have guessed, I'm not the best at housekeeping or childcare for that matter, so when someone volunteers to cook and help me baby-sit, you must understand how eagerly I would take you up on that offer." Mohinder led Molly into the front room by her hand.

Claire smiled at the girl, whose expression mirrored the way that Claire was feeling about the apartment. "I'm glad to help. I've always wanted a little sister."

Molly grinned up at the older girl in response.

"I don't want to pry, but how did your apartment get to be so…" Claire was at a loss for appropriate words.

Mohinder laughed a little. "I'm afraid I haven't gotten a chance to clean after Sylar and Peter decided to use it as their personal war zone."

Claire wanted to know more about that day, but she didn't ask at that moment. She had a feeling that it wasn't something that Molly needed to hear. "Well, no worries, I can help you get this place back in order."

"Thank you, Claire, that is very helpful of you, though not at all necessary!" Mohinder assured her as he closed and locked the door. He fumbled briefly for the light switch before flipping it on. "Well, make yourselves comfortable…" He glanced around the apartment, again grimacing at the mess.

Claire removed her jacket and hung it on the hat rack by the door. "Do you have any food in the kitchen?"

Mohinder shrugged. "Perhaps. I don't eat much myself…"

"How can you not eat?" Claire laughed.

"My work is very consuming and sometimes I suppose I simply forget about other things…"

"That's weird." Claire laughed again and Mohinder blushed slightly, hating that this girl could make him feel so hopelessly pathetic in so many ways.

"I might have something you could snack on." He offered.

"I'm not really that hungry, but I was thinking about Molly…" Claire glanced at the girl who was still standing by the door a little awkwardly as if she didn't quite know what to do with herself.

"Are you hungry, Molly?" Mohinder asked her.

"Sort of."

"Come on sweetie, let's see what we can dig up in the kitchen." Claire motioned for the girl to follow as she started winding her way through the obstacle course of overturned desks and chairs and scattered books. "While we're looking for food, maybe you can figure out where we're all going to sleep Dr. Suresh…" As Claire was looking over her shoulder at Mohinder, her foot caught on an overturned chair and she let out an unintentional yelp as she collapsed to the floor and felt her hands and knees being pierced by multiple shards of glass.

Mohinder gasped as she pushed herself back onto her knees. He realized that he still hadn't cleaned up the shattered glass that Sylar had left blanketing the floor. "Oh god, Claire!" He rushed to her side and helped her to her feet.

"It's okay." Claire assured him, carefully prying the thick pieces of glass out of her palms. Mohinder watched in awe as the skin on her hands closed up over the deep gashes that the glass had created. She wiped her hands on her pants and held them up for Mohinder to inspect. "See? No big." Her hands were completely clear of any marks.

"That's incredible." Mohinder felt giddy.

Claire bent over to remove the glass that had sliced through her pants and punctured her knees. Those were stuck in more deeply and she had difficulty pulling them out. "Umm…would you mind maybe…"

Mohinder nodded and helped her pull the glass free. Once it was out he couldn't resist pulling open the slits in her pants to watch her knees heal themselves as well. "Truly remarkable."

Claire grinned as his reaction, but then grew serious. "You're lucky it was me that tripped and not Molly."

Mohinder nodded. "Watch your step." He told the child and she nodded obediently, carefully picking her way around the debris until she reached the small kitchen where Claire and Mohinder had moved on to. "While you're rummaging through here, I'll try to get this mess a little more tidy…"

Claire shook her head. "You might as well leave it until morning, it's been a long enough day. We'll just move slowly tonight."

He nodded, agreeing with her logic and moved into the bedroom to problem-solve the sleeping arrangements.

"Okay, let's see what Dr. Suresh has to eat in this place!" Claire wanted to keep an uplifting spirit for the young girl, despite the dismal events of the long night and the fact that they were now staying in an apartment that felt as though a tornado has passed through it.

Molly stood on tiptoes, trying to see into the cupboards that Claire was opening, but she still couldn't reach. "What's he got?"

Claire smiled down at the girl. "Not a lot." She pulled out two boxes of macaroni and cheese. "Sound good?"

Molly nodded. "Sure."

"Let's hope he has the rest of the ingredients." Claire scanned the required necessities on the side of the box and then checked the refrigerator for milk and butter. "Looks like we're in luck." She rummaged through a few more cupboards until she found a pot to cook the pasta in. Once she had set it up on the stove she started searching for dishes and silverware. "I think I spotted some soda in the fridge, Molly, why don't you get it out and pour us some." Claire finally found a few mismatched bowls, cups, and forks and set them out on the counter while she finished preparing the easy meal.

"I think it's a little old." Molly wrinkled her nose as she opened the bottle of soda and it didn't fizz in the slightest.

Claire laughed. "Well, it's all he has."

Molly nodded and poured the flat soda into the three glasses that Claire had set out.

"I'm afraid this place isn't designed for more than one person." Mohinder stated as he rejoined the girls in the kitchen. "The bed should be large enough for the two of you to share though, and I'll take the couch."

Claire instantly felt guilty about making him sleep on the couch. "I'm sorry to impose on you like this. I hadn't intended to…"

"Don't worry about it Claire, I'm glad to help, though I do think your dad will be worried when he realizes you are gone."

"I left a note." Claire told him simply. "It told him that I had left for answers and I wanted him to go back to Texas to take care of my mom and brother."

"And you think he will do that?"

"I hope so." Claire knew that her father's first instinct would be to track her down, but she hoped he would listen to her and leave New York, letting her be responsible for her own choices. "You know, your kitchen supply is pretty pathetic." She changed the subject, not wanting to dwell anymore on the father she had run away from.

"I know. Eden use to cook for me…" He paused, realizing he hadn't meant to say that out loud.

"Eden? Is that your girlfriend?" Claire smiled.

"Umm…no. She was a girl that knew my father and helped me with some research…but she actually was tricking me…" He hesitated. "Actually, she worked with your father."

"Oh?" Claire paused. The name sounded familiar. "Does she have dark hair, above her ears?"

He nodded.

"I think I saw her once at my dad's office." Claire remembered the young pretty girl who had been there the day she had gone in search of banner paper for her Homecoming game. "She was very pretty."

"Yes, she was." Mohinder agreed softly. "She…she died."

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Claire regretted bringing the painful subject up.

Mohinder nodded, appreciating her sympathy. "So, how long have you known that Nathan Petrelli is your father, I mean I assume you didn't always know since you grew up with another family, correct?" He pulled a tray of ice cubes from the freezer and plopped a couple cubes in each glass that Molly had filled with soda.

"No, I didn't know. I mean, I've known that I was adopted for years, but I never had any interest in my biological parents until I learned about my abilities," Claire explained. "I wanted to know if they were special like me. It was a long process because my mother had supposedly died in a fire when I was just a baby, but that was a lie." She shook her head. "A lot about my life has been a lie, actually. Anyway, I finally tracked my mother down and met with her, but she said my father didn't want to meet me. Then I came to New York to find Peter and met his mother instead. She's the one who told me the truth about my father." Claire tried to squeeze perhaps the most important moments of her life into a very brief explanatory sentence.

"I see. Well, I know that your father is special, but what about your mother? Does she also have abilities?" Mohinder inquired.

"Yea, she can create fire."

"Interesting."

"Food's ready!" Claire turned off the stove and started dishing up the macaroni. "Sorry if it's not very good." They took the bowls over to the small table and sat down to eat.

"It's not bad." Mohinder decided after first taste.

"Thanks." Claire smiled at his politeness and tasted it herself. It wasn't horrid, but she knew it could have been better. "So Molly, Dr. Suresh told me that you were special too."

Molly nodded with a full mouth.

"What is that you can do?"

She swallowed her bite before answering. "I find people."

"You what?"

"If I think about someone I can find them."

"Anyone? Anywhere?"

The girl nodded.

Claire's eyes brightened excitedly. "Then you can locate Peter!"

Molly glanced at Mohinder who nodded slowly. "If Peter is still alive, Molly can most likely find him, yes."

"Most likely?" Claire didn't understand the hesitancy.

"Molly has been sick for a very long time." Mohinder explained. "Until today I was afraid I would never manage to find her a cure, but I finally figured it out and administered it to her." He glanced at the girl who was smiling at him broadly; her admiration of her doctor was evident in her eyes. "The sickness blocked her powers mostly, but she has been regaining her abilities slowly, though I am still not confident in the extent to which she is able to use them."

"Okay…" Claire sighed. "Can she try though?"

"Of course, but not tonight."

Claire was a little disappointed, but she understood Mohinder's reasoning. Molly had had a busy enough day and she needed rest before trying to use her powers again. "Fine, we'll try it tomorrow…if that's okay with you Molly…"

Molly nodded. "If it helps you find your hero, then I want to do it."

"Thank you." Claire smiled gratefully at the young girl and resumed eating.

After dinner the girls readily climbed into the bed they were sharing, still wearing their clothing. Claire was starting to miss her own bed and her pajamas, but she would rather sleep in her clothes for weeks than to go back to Texas and give up on finding Peter. Seeing that the girls were comfortable in the bedroom, Mohinder gathered a few books from the mess on the floor and read by a single lamp until the sun started to rise a few hours later. He couldn't sleep until he understood Molly's disease better, to make sure that he had cured her permanently.

_Ring. Ring. _Mohinder realized that he must have finally dozed off when his cell phone woke him at five thirty in the morning. He fumbled in his pocket to retrieve the phone, hoping to answer it quietly without waking the girls.

"Hello?" Mohinder answered groggily, clearing his throat and trying to wake up quickly.

"Dr. Suresh…"

Mohinder recognized the voice instantly and he sat up straighter, leaning sideways, trying to see into the bedroom. "Good morning Mr. Bennett." He spoke quietly, hoping Claire wouldn't wake up. "What may I do for you?"

"It's my daughter…" Mr. Bennett explained slowly. "She has run from me and she has made it very clear that she no longer wants my help."

"I'm very sorry, Sir." Mohinder decided against telling Mr. Bennett that his daughter was in fact there at the moment. "What may I do for you though?"

"She doesn't understand a lot of what's going on, but she's determined to find answers." Mr. Bennett sighed. "She's not safe on her own. She's just a child and most likely still a very valuable target for quite a few people."

"I'm not sure I understand why you're calling me…"

"Dr. Suresh, I am leaving New York this morning. I will return to Texas as my daughter asked and let her do this on her own, but I need to ask you a favor…"

"Certainly."

"If it's at all possible, could you try to find her or help her in some way? She doesn't have anybody in New York…"

"I will do my best…" Mohinder felt a little guilty lying to him.

"I'm not going to give up on her, Dr. Suresh. Back in Texas I will continue research and see if I can find out anything about the conspiracy that we all somehow became involved in last night. I have a feeling Claire is involved more than any of us realize." He hesitated. "You have to understand that I am not her real father…"

"Yes, Mr. Petrelli is." Mohinder snapped his mouth shut, realizing he hadn't meant to say that much.

"Yes…he is…" Mr. Bennett didn't press how he knew; he had more important issues on his mind right now. "Dr. Suresh, there's something else you need to know, another reason why I have called you and asked you to find my daughter."

"Oh?"

"Sylar is alive."

Mohinder felt his mouth go instantly dry. "Are you certain?"

"Yes. I went back to Kirby Plaza and saw blood smeared toward the drain leading down to the sewers. Then I checked police reports and they had no record of there being anyone at the plaza matching Sylar's description." Mr. Bennett explained. "He must have lived through Hiro's sword and escaped before anyone noticed."

"All right…" Mohinder stood. "I need to…we shouldn't…" He found it difficult to form a coherent thought at that moment. "He knows where I live."

"Do you think he will come after you?"

"It's not just me, I still have Molly, and…" Mohinder paused, but realized it was the right moment to be truthful. "Mr. Bennett, your daughter is here with me."

"She is?" Mr. Bennett's voice actually expressed relief. "Thank God she found you. Is she there right now?"

"Yes, well no, she's sleeping in the bedroom with Molly."

"Don't tell her I called." Mr. Bennett requested quickly. "She'll just think I'm trying to interfere, but please take care of her…"

"You have my word, Mr. Bennett."

_LAKE ONTARIO, NEAR TORONTO, CANADA_

"Hey dad look, he's waking up!"

The sun was painfully bright as he struggled to open his eyes, being forced to squint against the glare. "Where…what…where am I?" His harsh coughing seemed to rumble throughout his entire body.

"You're on our boat, Mister. I found you floating in the water late last night. You're lucky we were out camping or you probably would've drowned!" A man bent over him with a towel. "My son and I tried drying you off the best possible, but you seem to have caught a fever."

"Where am I though?" His voice was slowly regaining strength, but he did feel feverish.

"Lake Ontario. We're heading back to Toronto now. We should be there within the hour."

"Toronto?"

"Yep, where're you from and how'd you get out in the middle of the lake like you were?"

"I…I don't know." He felt certain that lying was the only thing he could do at this moment.

"Uh-oh…do you have amnesia?"

"Son, don't ask things like that, it's not nice!" The father rebuked his son, but then looked down with concern. "Do you know your name?"

"Yea…I'm Peter. Peter Petrelli."


	9. in need of a plan

_A/N: Again, imagine the Japanese dialogue to be in actual Japanese. Also, any reference to buildings, clothing, weapons, etc. is gathered from research I did online, so forgive me if anything is incorrect. I am not an expert in ancient Japanese culture. _

_HIRO NAKAMURA _

_KYOTO, JAPAN_

"To your feet."

Hiro's head snapped up as the booming voice sounded from above him. The door to his cell had been opened, revealing that he was indeed in some form of dungeon holding cell, made completely out of rough cement, with only a small grate high up in the way showing the exterior light. His eyes had gotten so used to the darkness that the light coming in from the door that had just been opened almost hurt his eyes. There was a guard standing in the doorway dressed head to toe in red armor with a sword hanging at his waist and a short spear in hand.

"I said, to your feet."

Hiro tried to obey the command that was being barked at him by the guard who had entered the cell. When he tried to stand though, his head rushed and he collapsed again, overwhelmed with dizziness.

The guard crossed the small cell and pulled Hiro roughly to his feet. "You'll do as your told!"

"Sorry…" Hiro mumbled helplessly.

"You'll speak only when a question is directed at you!" The guard drove the blunt end of his short spear into Hiro's stomach, causing him to buckle over in pain. "Who are you?"

"My name is Hiro Nakamura." Hiro saw no reason to lie to his captors. If anything, he felt that he should tell the whole truth.

"Where do you come from?"

Hiro paused. He instinctively felt that the truth wouldn't work for this question. "I come from here."

"Here?" The guard looked at Hiro skeptically. He prodded him again with the end of his spear, eyeing the clothes suspiciously. "You do not dress like a man from here. What are you? You are an evil wizard!"

"No!" Hiro argued insistently. "I am not evil! I am innocent!"

"That decision will be left up to my master." The guard let an evil little grin slip across his thin lips. "I do not think he will be very easily convinced of your innocence."

The guard exited the cell and two others stepped in. They pulled Hiro to his feet again, releasing him from the chains that bound him to the wall. Then they rebound his hands together with a shorter set of chains in front of his body so he could still be restrained as they marched him out of the cell and down the dark hallway. Hiro was forced up a winding stone staircase and down another corridor. Hiro was close to asking them where he was being taken when they emerged into a room naturally light with the sun shining in through the windows that stretched from floor to ceiling.

"Move."

Hiro realized he had stopped to stare at the room when the guard behind him shoved him forward again. He moved forward obediently, eyeing the people grouped around on either side of the room leading up to the front of the room where one man was sitting alone on a raised platform. He wore a pure black silk kataginu kamishimo typical for established samurai's. Hiro's eyes were drawn to the long tachi sword sheathed in red and gold, hanging at the man's side.

"Who are you?" When he spoke his voice was low and deep. It sent a shiver through Hiro's spine.

"My name is Hiro Nakamura."

"Your name is no interest to me. Who are you and what were you doing out on the field this morning?" The warrior's voice boomed.

"I…I got lost." Hiro realized that he should have spent his time in the cell working on some sort of cover story, but it was too late now. He had to say whatever came to mind and hope it was enough to keep him from getting in trouble.

"You got lost? Is that the best you can do?" The warrior's voice was growing louder and harsher every moment. Hiro felt as though his knees were going to give out. "Your interference cost me a capture that I have been planning for months!"

"I'm sorry…" Hiro offered meekly.

"I don't want your apology! I want your head!" The warrior stood and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword. "Do you know who I am?"

Hiro felt afraid to answer, so he simply shook his head in response.

The warrior's eyes widened. "I am Yukio and I am emperor of this land! But there is one man who stands in my way and today was going to be his last, until you came along and ruined everything!" Yukio motioned to two of his guards standing by. "And now you must pay for what you have done."

Hiro let out an audible gulp of terror as the guards moved in towards him, gripping both of his arms and practically dragging him backwards from the meeting room. Yukio sat down again and watched Hiro being led away. He held up his hand and the guards stopped suddenly.

" He will be executed in three days."

This time Hiro's knees really did give out on him. His body went limp and he had to rely on the guards to mostly carry him from the room and back down to his cell where he was told he would wait out his execution day.

_PETER PETRELLI_

_CANADA_

"Thanks again for picking me up Mr. Scott." Peter shook his rescuer's hand gratefully as he prepared to depart the small fishing boat that he had been pulled onto.

"Not a problem, Mr. Petrelli, I'd hate to think what would've happened if I hadn't seen you. You probably would've died!" Mr. Scott shook his head.

"Not likely." Peter muttered under his breath.

"Are you sure you're going to be able to get home okay on your own?" Mr. Scott asked, genuinely expressing concern as he followed Peter off the boat and onto the dock that they had stopped at.

"Yea, I'll be fine. Thanks for your concern." Peter gave a slight grin. "And thanks for the clothes…"

Mr. Scott nodded. "Yea, sure. It would have been kind of bad of me to let you walk around naked…though I'm still dying to know how you ended up in the lake butt naked like that!"

Peter's eye twitched slightly and he quickly faked a broader smile. "Yea, crazy huh?" He avoided the question quickly and started away. "Have a good life!"

"You too Mr. Petrelli, and good luck getting home."

"Thanks!" Peter waved and strode away from the dock in a hurry. _I wonder what he would've thought if I told him I lost my clothes when I exploded? _He coughed. His throat was still feeling a little dry and scratchy, despite the three bottles of water he had guzzled downed on the boat. _I need a plan. I need something to drink and I need a plan. _He coughed again as his mind started plotting his next step. _Nathan? No…_Peter wasn't quite ready to try and get in touch with Nathan because it meant facing the possibility that he hadn't survived.

Peter dropped onto a bench near the edge of the water, trying to remind himself of the previous night. Everything was sort of a blur. He remembered little things, but they felt disconnected and incomplete. _Sylar…he was there…_that part was clear. Peter could remember the final confrontation with his greatest enemy and he remembered what Sylar had said: _Turns out you're the villain, Peter._

Peter dropped his forehead into his hands and felt a dry sob forming in his throat. He didn't feel like crying in remorse or pain or anything, but simply felt like crying. He needed a release. _How could I have let myself get so out of control! I could have killed so many people…_even though Nathan had stopped him from killing everyone Peter still felt that he had failed. He had let everyone down. _Maybe Sylar was right…I did turn out to be the villain. I was the one they all had to stop, not him. They came to prevent me from mass murder…she came. Claire. _She was the only one he could think of at that moment. He could see her so clearly, the pain shining in her eyes as she sobbed hopelessly with the gun aimed at his head. He remembered her crying out, begging for another way. _How could I have put her through that? _

And then suddenly he saw Nathan. Peter remembered the confused emotions he had felt when his brother had flown down, stepping in between Claire and Peter and offering another solution. _Nathan was willing to die to save me from myself. _A tear leaked from Peter's eye as he relived the moment that his brother had whisked him away into the sky, flying higher and higher until they had cleared earth's atmosphere and were confident that New York was no longer in danger. Then things became hazy again. _Did he get away? _Peter realized that he couldn't distinctly remember what had happened to Nathan.

_He was there with me…but then he wasn't…he left, right? _Peter shook his head, hating that he couldn't remember. _Did he get away in time? _He had an indistinct memory of telling Nathan to leave him, but then his memory failed and he had no certainty about whether or not Nathan actually did leave. _I'm not ready to find out. _He decided firmly, standing again and heading to a payphone across the street. _I have to get back to New York and I need to find out what happened. _

He stopped suddenly halfway across the street. _Who am I going to call? _He shook his head. _I have to tell someone that I'm alive…they all probably think…_a slight smile lighted his face slowly. _She won't think I've died. She'll be waiting for me. I should call her. _His smile stretched. _I'm so glad she didn't have to kill me. She never would have gotten over it. Dear, sweet Claire…_


	10. phone calls

_MOHINDER SURESH, CLAIRE BENNETT & MOLLY WALKER_

_NEW YORK_

"Claire…" Mohinder crept silently into the bedroom the minute he was off the phone with her father. "Claire, wake up…" he was leaning over the bed whispering to the blonde, trying not to wake up Molly who was rolled over in the other direction.

Claire wasn't waking up, and Mohinder wasn't quite sure what else to do to stir her. He straightened up and fixed his hands on his hips, staring down at the steadily sleeping teenager. He shook his head. _What the hell am I doing? I don't know the first thing about kids, let alone girls! How am I supposed to take care of them?_

Mohinder sighed, trying to push his fears and doubts from his mind as he once again leaned over Claire, this time touching her shoulder attempting more firmly to wake her. "Claire, please wake up!"

She finally started to stir. Her eyelids twitched and opened slowly, then she yawned and her eyes started to focus in on him. "Dr. Suresh?" She yawned again.

"Yea…shh…don't wake up Molly." Mohinder instructed as Claire sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. He held his finger to his lips, signaling for quiet, and led her into the other room.

"What's wrong?" Claire asked in a whisper.

"We need to leave here." Mohinder told her simply.

"Why? You told us we'd be safe here." Claire reminded him.

"I thought we would be, but I was wrong." He sighed. "I just got a call from your dad, Claire."

"What?" Claire shook her head. "Did you tell him I was here? Is he coming to get me?" She headed toward the door, preparing to grab her jacket and flee from his apartment.

"No, Claire calm down!" Mohinder took hold of her arm, pulling her over to the couch and forcing her to sit down. "Your dad is not coming for you."

"Are you sure?" She calmed a little bit, but she could still feel her heart beating quickly.

"Yes, you have my word. He called to tell me that he was heading back to Texas and he wanted to ask me to try and find you so I could look after you." He explained. "Your dad is very concerned about you, but he is going to respect your decision and give you space."

"Space?" Claire felt like laughing. Regardless of what her father did or where he went, she knew that giving her space would be the farthest thing from his mind. She knew him well enough to know that he wasn't going to give up, even if he would temporarily leave her alone. "Did you tell him I was here?"

"Yes I did." Mohinder didn't feel like lying to her. She was a young woman who had had a difficult enough life without everyone trying to coddle her and lie to her. "He needed to know that you are not alone."

"It's okay. It's good that you told him." Claire decided. "Maybe it will keep him from worrying."

"I doubt that." Mohinder offered her a slight smile, but then remembered what else her father had told him on the phone and his smile faded. "We need to leave here though as soon as possible."

"Why?" Claire sensed Mohinder's fear and instantly grew serious as well.

"Your father also called me to tell me that Sylar is not dead as we all assumed. He somehow lived despite his wound." Mohinder explained. "That's why we can't stay. He knows where I live. If he comes here…" He couldn't finish the thought.

Hearing about Sylar sent a strange coldness through Claire. She felt as though someone had replaced her insides with ice and for a moment she couldn't breathe. "He can't be. I mean I saw him dead…or dying. He was lying there and…"

"I know Claire, it's difficult to comprehend like this, but we have to face the facts and we have to deal with the situation." Mohinder glanced around the apartment nervously. "I'm afraid you and Molly are both prime targets for him. If he learns that you are here with me, I doubt he will hesitate to come after you both."

Claire nodded in agreement. "You're right, we need to take care of Molly."

"And you Claire. I know you're basically indestructible, but he could still kill you." Mohinder reminded her. "I promised your father I would take care of you and I intend to keep my promise."

She smiled. "Thank you. I really do appreciate it. I mean, I just crashed your life, probably putting you in a whole lot of danger…"

"Claire, don't worry about it. This is the path I have chosen and I have no regrets about it."

"Well, thanks all the same." She stood and headed back to the bedroom. "I need to wake up Molly. Get what you need…" she waved her hand around the apartment, "and then we'll get out of here."

Mohinder started gathering things in a hurry, shoving books and scraps of scribbled pages of research notes into a bag. He gave his smashed computer a longing glance before moving onto the desk drawers where he managed to salvage a few important files of genetic identities that he hadn't had a chance to contact yet.

Meanwhile, Claire had returned to the bedroom to wake the young girl. As Claire leaned over her, she realized that the girl seemed to be in some sort of sleeping fit. Her expression was a fierce scowl and her eyes were shifting speedily beneath her closed eyelids. Even her body started twitching strangely.

"Molly…" Claire started to worry. "Sweetheart, wake up…"

The little girl's mouth stretched and she released a strange little scream.

"Molly!" Claire laid her hand on the girl's shoulder gently. "I think you're having a nightmare sweetie."

Molly's eyes snapped open suddenly. "He's here…" Her breathing was faster than normal and Claire noticed beads of sweat forming on her forehead.

"Who's here?" Claire asked, sitting on the edge of the bed and taking Molly's hand comfortingly.

"He was here…he could see me." Tears slipped out of her round brown eyes and she turned her head away from Claire.

"Sweetie, I don't understand. There's nobody here except for me." She wiped the tears away from the girl's face. "You were just having a bad dream."

"No. It wasn't a dream." Molly insisted. She sat up suddenly. Her eyes were still shimmering with tears, but she wasn't crying anymore. "You don't understand. Sometimes he can see me when I sleep…and then sometimes I feel like I can't stop sleeping. It's like I'm stuck."

Claire didn't have a clue what the girl was talking about, but she tried to show support for the girl's nightmare. "It's okay sweetie, you're awake now and he's not here anymore, right?" She scooted closer to the girl and pulled her into a comforting hug.

Molly nodded, sniffing slightly. "If I concentrate on him though, he can see me when I'm awake."

"Then don't concentrate on him." Claire told her simply. "Just clear your head. Just relax." She stroked the girl's long hair soothingly. "You're safe here with me and with Dr. Suresh." Claire hesitated slightly, realizing that what she was saying wasn't true. They weren't safe there. That's why she had come into the room in the first place. "Sweetie, I need you to get up now, okay? We've got to go…" Claire wanted to tell Molly what was happening without scaring the girl anymore than she already was.

"Where are we going? I thought Dr. Suresh said we were going to stay here for a while…" Molly obediently slid off the bed and followed Claire back into the front room where Mohinder now had three bags full of his belongings piled on the couch.

"Molly, we have to go somewhere else for a little while." Mohinder spoke up, not quite sure how much Claire had told her.

"Why?" The girl repeated her question to Mohinder.

"Something's come up is all." Mohinder told her simply. He glanced at Claire and she understood that he was equally hesitant to be too truthful to the girl.

"Okay." Molly let Claire help her tie her shoes, even though she was more than capable of doing it herself, Molly still felt a little sleepy and Claire was more than willing to help out.

"Are we ready?" Mohinder asked as the girls stood and moved over to the front door.

"I think so." Claire nodded, taking one of the bags from Mohinder to help him with his load.

"Good, then we should be off."

"Umm, Dr. Suresh…" Molly spoke up as he opened the door for them and motioned them out into the hallway.

"Yes, Molly?"

"Where are we going?"

Mohinder paused, realizing that he didn't have a plan. "A hotel?"

Claire nodded. "That woman, Niki, she told me where she and her son were staying in case we wanted to get in touch with them." She fished in the pocket of her pea coat and pulled out a piece of paper that she had scribbled the information on. "This is the hotel and room number."

"So, you think we should go to her?" Mohinder asked.

"Maybe so." Claire didn't know where else they could go. She didn't know anyone else in New York except for the Petrelli's, but she wasn't quite ready to seek out her grandmother. "Safety in numbers, right?"

Mohinder nodded. "I suppose so. Besides, she doesn't know…" He stopped himself, realizing how intently Molly was listening to their conversation.

Claire picked up on his meaning and didn't need him to finish his sentence. "There's a cab!" She took a step off the sidewalk and held out her hand to catch the driver's attention and the taxi pulled over.

Mohinder pulled open the back door and waved the girls into the backseat before tossing in the bags that he was carrying and climbing in after them. "52nd and Broadway please." The driver nodded to confirm that he had heard and pulled back into the thin stream of early morning traffic.

"Sweetie, why don't you rest your head on my shoulder and see if you can fall asleep?" Claire suggested to Molly. "The drive might be a while." Molly's eyes stretched and Claire realized that she had said the wrong thing. "Never mind. Just stay awake and relax." She slipped her arm around the young girl's shoulders and stroked her arm soothingly. While Molly focused her eyes on the sights through the window, Claire turned to Mohinder, lowering her voice. "She says that there's somebody who sees her in her dreams."

Mohinder's forehead creased with worry. "I think she's mentioned him before. She told me once that there was only one person that she wouldn't use her powers to locate because he could see her."

Claire nodded. "She mentioned something about that. Who do you think it is?"

"I have no idea, but she's clearly terrified of him." He stated unnecessarily. "We need to help her keep her mind off of this man."

Claire agreed with a nod. She had already thought of a way to distract Molly. "Sweetie, are you feeling well enough to try and find someone for me now?"

Molly glanced up at her and nodded. "I can try." She sat up straighter. "Do you have a map?"

Claire glanced at Mohinder who shook his head. "We'll wait until we reach the hotel."

"Do you want me to find your hero?" She asked.

Claire nodded, smiling slightly at the girl. "Yes, I want you find Peter." Mohinder cleared his throat, but she glared at him. "I believe he's alive."

"I hope you're right." Mohinder told her.

"I have to be." She was speaking to herself now. _If he's dead, then there's no one left for me. _

Mohinder seemed to sense her sadness, because when he spoke again his voice had grown softer. "He's strong. Like you, right? He can survive."

Claire started to reply, but was cut off as her cell phone rang. She instinctively decided that her dad was calling to lecture her for running off, and so she pulled it from her pocket with some resistance. She didn't recognize the number, but that only confirmed her suspicion that it was her dad. _I just hope he's calling from the airport._

"Hello?" She answered on the third ring. Only silence greeted her. "Hello?" She repeated. "Is anyone there?"

"Claire?" The voice was soft and low.

Shock made her unable to respond for a minute. She felt like she had lost her voice entirely.

"Claire, is it you?" The voice sounded a little raspy and the question was followed by a fit of coughing.

"Yes…" She finally managed to sputter. "It's me…"

"Are you okay?"

"I…" She was at a loss for words. "Yea…I…oh god…you're alive!"

There was a short silence, followed by a slight laugh. "Yea, I'm alive."

Mohinder was watching her with a curious frown, but she wasn't giving him any information.

"Where are you?"

"I'm in Canada."

"How'd you get there?" She paused. "Never mind. It's not important…" She took a deep breath, still trying to calm herself down after the excitement of hearing his voice. "Have you…do you know if…" She couldn't force herself to finish the question, but he seemed to know what she was trying to ask.

"I don't know. You're the first person I called…" He coughed again. "I wanted to make sure that you were okay…"

"Thank you." Claire felt her whole body melting with relief and overwhelming joy. "I…I'm so happy to hear your voice."

"Are you still in New York?"

"Yes, I am. I'm with Dr. Suresh at the moment." Claire told him.

"Good, he can take care of you for now."

"Yea…are you coming back?" Claire asked hopefully.

"Of course. I'm heading back today. I'll call you when I get into the city."

"Promise?"

"I promise." He was quiet for a minute, but she could still hear him breathing on the other line. "Be careful."

"You too."

He hung up and she stared at her cell phone for a minute, as though if she stared long enough she would be able to make him call again.

"Claire?" Mohinder finally brought her back to reality.

Claire turned to him and announced with a wide smile: "Peter's alive."

_NATHAN & HEIDI PETRELLI_

_NEW YORK_

It had taken Nathan almost twenty minutes of coxing to convince Heidi to go to bed without all the details concerning the dishonesty of Angela. He had promised to tell her in the morning after he had time to work all the details out for himself. She had begged for him to come to bed as well, but he had insisted that he wasn't tired. In truth, his head was too full of all that had happened and all that he knew was inevitably going to happen. He had made a serious change by choosing to tell his wife the truth, or at least most of the truth, but he was still hiding so much from her and it made him feel guilty.

_I need to know that I'm not alone in all of this. _Nathan was ecstatic that his wife had offered him full support, but he needed more. He needed support from someone who could share in the complexity of what he was going through. _I need to hear that I still have a purpose. _He picked up his cell and dialed a number from memory.

"Hello, you've reached Peter's cell. Leave a message."

"Hey Pete. Umm, it's me." Nathan sighed. He had no idea what to say on an answering machine for his brother who may or may not be alive. "If you can…or well if you're you know…umm…call me Pete, please. I need to know…I need to talk to you." He waited for a moment longer on the phone as if Peter might actually pick up if he waited long enough, but he finally had to hang up.

Nathan hated the hopeless feeling he had about his brother, but optimism seemed pointless. _He came back from the dead once. He can do it again, right? _He sighed and picked up the phone again to try another number.

The answering machine picked up immediately and he hung up promptly, not quite sure what to say on her voice mail. There were some things that just needed to be said in person and telling your daughter that you did not in fact die like she believed was one of them.

Against his better instincts, Nathan decided to call one last person. He dialed the number hesitantly and gripped the phone tightly as he listened to it ring. She was the last person he wanted to talk to at the moment. He wasn't ready. He had no idea what he was going to say to her, but he had to face her eventually. After four rings she answered, sounding much too enthusiastic.

"Nathan!"

"Hi mom."

"Oh darling, I am so relieved to hear your voice. I knew you hadn't actually died, of course, but you must understand that I was a little apprehensive nonetheless." Angela's voice came over the phone clearly and precisely. She didn't sound as though she had wasted much time genuinely fretting over the life of her son. "Where are you now?"

"I'm with Heidi and the boys in DC." Nathan told her quickly. "After what happened last night I wanted to be with my family."

"Of course you did. I understand completely." Angela's tone expressed something different than understanding though. "Have you spent sufficient time with them now? Because truly you need to come and join me in Paris, we have much to discuss…"

"Mom, I will not be joining you in Paris." Nathan told her quickly.

"Excuse me?" She huffed for a moment, and then resumed her control. "I realize that you may be hesitant to leave your family after everything that has happened, and I must respect that choice. Very well then, I will come to you."

"No, you will not."

"What did you say to me?"

"You are not coming here, mom. I don't want you anywhere near my family." Nathan gripped the phone more tightly still. It was very difficult for him to speak to his mother in this way, but after everything she had been a part of, and al the dark plans she had hidden from him…_its necessary_. "Stay in Paris. You will not be in contact with anyone in my family, not Heidi or the boys…and not Claire. Do you understand me?"

Angela was silent. "Do you have any idea what you are saying?"

"Yes I do."

"Nathan, you can't be serious. You haven't thought this through…"

"No mom, I have thought this through and this is my decision." He took a deep breath. "If I hear that you have tried to talk to anyone that you shouldn't, or if I learn that you are not in fact staying away from me and my family, I will make you regret it."

"Are you threatening me?"

"Yes mom. I am. You should be proud, I'm finally behaving as a politician, right?" Nathan hung up the phone without another word.


	11. substitute family

_NIKI & MICAH SANDERS_

_NEW YORK_

"Mom…" Micah sat up in bed, yawning and stretching a kink in his neck.

Niki lifted her head and forced a relaxed smile on her face. "Hey baby, did you sleep well?"

Micah nodded, but frowned when he realized that she was still sitting in the chair that she was in when he had fallen asleep. "Did you sleep at all?"

"Not really." She shrugged. "I'm not really that tired."

"Right." He rolled his eyes. "You probably haven't slept in a few days now! Not since I was taken away…you have to be tired." Micah sat up taller and crossed his arms. "You need sleep."

"Thanks for worry." Niki smiled and crossed the room to sit beside her son on the king size bed. "But why not let me take care of the mothering from now on?"

"I promised dad I would look after you." Micah reminded her.

"Yes, I know." Niki felt an overwhelming urge to hug her son, adoring his precious concern for her. "And you are taking care of me, but I am also taking care of you, okay? When I'm tired I'll sleep."

He nodded. "Fine, but will you at least lay down and pretend to sleep."

Niki grinned and pulled him into her arms, squeezing him tightly. "Have I ever told you that you're the best kid in the world?"

"Once or twice." Micah pecked a kiss on her cheek and returned the hug.

"Are you hungry? We could order some room service before heading back over to the hospital?" Niki reached for the menu on the bedside table and started flipping through it. "You like eggs right?"

"Sure mom, anything's fine."

Niki sighed. "You are the most impossibly pleasing child…" She laughed at her son's innocent smile. "You know what, I'm going to go take a shower and let you order us some breakfast, okay?"

"Okay." Micah nodded, taking the menu from his mom and starting to pick out his favorites. "Can I get ice cream too?"

Niki glanced back as she stepped into the adjoining bathroom and smiled. "Sure baby, whatever you want."

Micah grinned and continued perusing the menu. He had just finished making his selection when he heard a quick knock on the door. He paused. His mother had told him enough to know that they were staying at the hotel for safety as well as for rest. He automatically assumed that whomever they were hiding from had tracked them down at the hotel. Feeling instantly afraid, Micah slid off the bed and hurried across the room to the closed bathroom door.

He knocked briefly, but she had already started her shower, so he pushed the door open a crack and called out to her. "Mom…there's somebody knocking on the door."

"What?" Niki peeked her head out from around the shower curtain, looking instantly panicked. "Okay…don't answer it. Umm…just give me a second and I'll be right out."

Micah shut the bathroom door and obediently waited for his mom to exit the shower. Meanwhile, the knocking had persisted. He shifted back and forth on the balls of his feet, staring anxiously at the closed door. _Hurry mom…_

Suddenly voices joined the knocking and Micah's eyes widened. "Niki? Micah?"

_They know us…_

"Are you in there? It's us from the hospital…Dr. Suresh and Claire and Molly…" It was a man's voice with an accent, and Micah recognized the voice from the hospital as the Indian man.

"Mom, it's Dr. Suresh!" Micah called through the bathroom door and then without any hesitation, he hurried to open the main door. "Hi…"

Mohinder smiled down at the boy. "Hi, sorry to bother you…but umm…is your mother here?"

At that moment Niki stepped out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel, with traces of shampoo still evident in her wet hair. "Micah, I thought I told you not to open the door!"

"But I realized who it was…we know them…" He defended his choice. "I didn't think you'd care if you knew who it was."

"That's not the point." Niki didn't like being upset with her son, but she needed him to understand how hard she was trying to take care of him and how much she needed him to obey her completely.

"I'm sorry." Micah's apology was sincere, seeming to realize a little of how his mom was feeling.

"I'm sorry if we came at a bad time…" Dr. Suresh and the girls were still out in the hall, all three of them feeling a little hesitant about intruding into the hotel room.

"No, it's fine…I just didn't know…we weren't expecting you and I was afraid that it might be someone else…" Niki gripped her towel more tightly and motioned for the three of them to enter. "Please, come in. I, umm, I should probably put something else on…"

Mohinder blushed slightly, and tried to avert his eyes from the nearly naked woman in front of him as he ushered the two girls into the hotel room and then shut the door, fastening it securely with the chain latch.

"Actually, I'm just going to finish my shower really quick. Are you hungry? Micah was just about to order us some breakfast." Niki smiled at them as she backed into the bathroom to resume her shower. "Make yourselves comfortable. I'll only be a minute."

As she shut the door and the shower water resumed, Micah led the group over to the bed where he'd been reading through the room-service menu. "I was going to get some ice cream…"

"I like ice cream." Molly smiled and glanced up at Mohinder hopefully.

Mohinder was already making himself situated at the desk, pulling books and written notes out of his briefcase, clearly oblivious to the girl's plea. She realized he was ignoring her and she seemed suddenly unsure of herself. Claire stepped forward quickly.

"Molly, I think you can order whatever you like." Claire told her, taking the menu from Micah and beginning to pick something out for herself. She glanced at Mohinder. "Do you want anything Dr. Suresh?"

He nodded absentmindedly. "Sure, anything's fine."

Claire rolled her eyes. She hated it when people didn't give her definite answers. It meant that she had to make a choice for them, and she had a hard enough time making her own decisions half the time. "Umm, right, do you like omelets?"

"That's fine." He muttered, shuffling through more papers.

"Okay…" Claire settled that decision and turned back to the children. "I'll make the call, what do you two want?"

Micah and Molly both requested eggs with toast and bacon, as well as ice cream sundaes with extra fudge. On Micah's orders, Claire ordered an omelet for Niki as well as Mohinder and then ordered herself eggs benedict.

By time the order was complete, Niki had finished her shower and had rejoined the group in the room, now dressed in jeans and a casual sweater. She waited for Mohinder to acknowledge her, but he was so consumed in his research that he ignored her completely. She glared at the back of his head for a minute before moving around to the other side of the desk and placing her hands down on his books, forcing him to look up at her.

"I'm sorry…I didn't hear you. Were you speaking to me?"

"Yea, I was asking you why you're here?" Niki repeated herself.

"Oh, right, good question, yes…" Mohinder stood and faced her, glancing at Claire briefly.

Claire looked at the children, wondering how to make them go away so they wouldn't have to hear the conversation that Niki was demanding, but she knew it wasn't safe for them to be anywhere else at the moment. "They're going to have to know eventually." She decided finally, giving Mohinder a shrug.

Niki frowned. "Know what? What's going on?"

"I don't know how much you know about what happened last night, but there is a man named Sylar…he's a very bad man, who has been killing people with powers…" Mohinder wasn't sure how much to say or how to say it, but he knew that Niki wanted to hear everything. "He's very dangerous. He has killed many times. He was at Kirby Plaza and a man named Hiro stabbed a sword through his chest, which we thought had successfully ended him, but I have now learned that he is in fact still alive, and undoubtedly as dangerous as ever."

"Great." Niki mumbled. "I don't understand what this has to do with me and my son though…"

"At the moment, maybe nothing, but the chance are he saw you at Kirby Plaza and he has realized by now that you have powers as well. It'll only be a matter of time before he begins to search for you and Micah."

"So you're saying he would want to find us so that…" She dropped off, unable to finish the sentence.

"So he can kill you and take your powers." Mohinder finished bluntly.

"Way to break it gently." Claire scoffed, noticing the shocked expression on Niki's face.

"I thought you said the boogeyman was gone." Molly spoke up quietly.

"I know I did Molly, but I was wrong…" Mohinder glanced at her, but her terrified expression made him turn away. "But I'm going to take care of you, I promise. The boogeyman won't get you."

Claire sat on the bed beside Molly and circled her arms around the small girl. "We're all looking after you sweetie, nothing's going to happen."

Molly nodded, but a tear slipped from her eye, betraying her fear.

Niki was watching the girl curiously. "Has this man tried to hurt her?"

Mohinder hesitated, glancing again at the girl, but finally nodded. "Sylar murdered her parents and tried to come after her, but she was saved in time."

"Oh my god…" Niki covered her mouth with a hand, suddenly gaining a better understanding and appreciation of what Mohinder was tying to explain to her about the potential danger of the man named Sylar. "Well, I appreciate you coming here to warn us…"

"Of course." Mohinder nodded. "But I also came here with the girls because I didn't know where else to go. My apartment isn't safe. Sylar knows where I live. He'll be looking for Claire, perhaps more than anyone else. He's been after her for weeks."

Niki glanced at the blonde who was staring firmly at the top of Molly's head. "I don't know what I can do to help you. We were about to go to the hospital to visit my husband…"

"He needs to be warned also." Mohinder decided. "Why don't we all head over to the hospital together and on the way I'll try and give you some more information. I'm sure you still have plenty of questions."

"I do."

"And I'll do my best to answer all of them."

"Thank you."

Claire's phone chirped again and she pulled it from her pocket quickly. With one glance at the ID, she removed her arms from around Molly and stood from the bed, moving to the other side of the room before answering the call.

"Hello…"

"Claire? Umm…hi…"

Claire's eyes slipped shut and she let out a deep breath that she didn't know she had been holding in. "Hi." She smiled and leaned her back against the wall. "I wanted to call you, but I…I couldn't. I just didn't know what to expect. I didn't know where you would be or if…"

"If I was even alive?"

"Yea." Claire felt tears welling up in her eyes. She hadn't realized how much she had cared about him. "I'm really glad you're okay, Nathan."

"You too sweetheart."

"How did you survive?" Claire asked.

"I flew away before Peter exploded." He explained quickly. "I didn't wait to see what happened. I just flew. I don't know if he…" He stopped himself, not ready to admit his fears to her.

Claire smiled a little, realizing that Nathan didn't know about Peter. "He's alive."

"What?"

"Peter's alive. I just talked to him. He's in Canada, but he's on his way back here." She told him. "He's fine."

"Thank God."

"Nathan…" She hesitated. "Why did you change your mind? Why did you stop the explosion?

"Because you were right." He answered simply. "What I was considering, or rather what my mother was suggesting…it was insane. If I had gone through with that…it wasn't a choice I could make. I'm so sorry that I ever made you doubt me." Claire thought that Nathan's voice sounded emotional. She realized how much he truly did care about her, and about Peter, and that made her feel more relieved than she could have expected it to.

"It's okay. You did the right thing in the end and that's all that matters."

"I guess so."

"Thank you."

"No, thank you Claire." He was quiet for a moment and then sighed. "I should go. Heidi…my wife…she…well, I should go."

Claire shut her eyes again and nodded to herself. "Okay, yea. I'm guessing now wouldn't be a good time for her to find out about everything."

"Actually I told her."

"You did?" Claire's heart leapt in excitement. "You told her everything?"

"Oh…well…no not everything…I mean…" He didn't know how to explain it to her. "I told her about me and Peter, about our powers."

"I see." Claire's excitement dropped instantly. "So, I'm guessing she still doesn't know about me then."

"No, not yet." He paused. "I want to tell her Claire, I do, but she's going to have a difficult time adjusting to everything else right now…I don't want to spring too much on her at once."

"Of course, I understand, really." Claire felt an urge to cry, but was very aware of everyone in the room staring at her and so she resisted.

"Claire…"

"No, you don't have to explain. It's fine Nathan." She cleared her throat, still trying to fight back the tears. "Umm, I should go. I'm sort of in the middle of something…"

"Claire, wait. Are you with your dad? Are you safe?"

"My dad went back to Texas. I asked him to. I'm not quite ready to leave yet. There are some things I need to figure out first…"

"Like where I fit in?"

"Yea, among other things."

"Can I call you later today?"

"Sure." Claire agreed. "Whatever you want, but I really do have to go now."

"Okay." He paused again. "Claire…"

"Look Nathan, I'm glad you called. I'm very relieved to hear that you're okay, but there's nothing else to say right now. You've got your wife and your sons to worry about. I'm fine. You don't have to waste time worrying about me. I can take care of myself. Goodbye now."

"Right…but Claire…" He cleared his throat and when he spoke again his voice was very quiet. "I love you."

Claire hung up the phone quickly, pretending she hadn't heard him. She couldn't handle his emotional confusion at the moment; her life was confusing enough as it was.

"So, what's the verdict?" Claire turned back to the others, forcing a confident smile onto her face.

"Is everything okay?" Niki asked with automatic motherly concern.

"Yea, excellent. I just need something else to keep my mind on for now." Claire sighed, but kept her fake smile firmly plastered on her face. "So, who's going to give me something else to think about?"

"After we eat, we will be going to the hospital, all of us together. Niki would like for me to talk to her husband." Mohinder explained. "And then after the hospital, I will try and figure out where we will be staying. Somewhere safe, though still only temporary until I hear something about Molly." He glanced at the girl and then back to Claire who was frowning now. "Is something wrong?"

"No, I just…" She glanced at Molly, whose brown eyes expressed her sadness. "It's nothing."

"All right." Mohinder turned back to his books.

"Umm, Dr. Suresh…" Claire crossed the room and stood beside his chair until he looked up at her.

"Yes?"

"What about me?"

"What about you?"

"What am I going to do? I appreciate you letting me stay with you last night, but I don't expect for you to let me intrude on your life forever…"

"Claire, you sent your dad home so that you could stay here and have your questions answered. You are welcome to stay with me as long as you need to until you're satisfied. Or if you'd rather, I suppose you could stay with Nathan Petrelli…I couldn't help overhearing your phone call…" He smiled slightly. "I am glad that he survived."

"Yea me too, but if you were listening in on the phone call you also heard that he isn't ready for me to come around his family." She didn't want to talk about it, but they weren't really giving her a choice. "He hasn't told his family about me yet."

"Well, you can stay with me as long as you need to, if you are comfortable with that arrangement." Mohinder offered.

"Thank you. I really appreciate it."

"Not at all." Mohinder turned back to his books. "Right now I must focus though, I am trying to decipher some of Molly's past medical exams. I want to make sure that I haven't neglected anything."

"Right, we'll let you focus then." Claire smiled at Niki and the two girls moved away from Mohinder, joining the kids on the bed who were discussing their powers in more detail.


	12. escape and confrontation

_A/N: Thank you all for the reviews! I hope you all continue to enjoy this story! Please continue to review, it's very encouraging to hear that I am doing well. Also, if any of you have any ideas for OCs that you would like me to maybe use, let me know and I'll try to find a way to work them in! _

_HIRO NAKAMURA _

_HOLDING CELL - KYOTO, JAPAN _

The date had been set. The execution orders penned. Hiro Nakamura was to be executed at sunset, for purposefully interfering with the emperor's plans. He would be executed through beheading.

Hiro ran his verdict over and over in his mind as he sat dolefully on the cement floor of his cell. As far as he could see, without his powers in working order, this was to be his last night alive, because tomorrow at sunset he would be beheaded and he could think of no way to escape the emperor's decision.

He found himself on the verge of tears when the door to his cell creaked open and a sliver of light streaked across the floor. It was barely enough light to make out the shadow of the figure in the doorway, but Hiro could tell that the person was small, short and slender. Hiro sat up a bit, hoping that this wasn't going to lead to him being further interrogated by the emperor and his brutal guards. Something about the intruder's entrance though intrigued him. Other than the slight creak of the door, there was silence, not even the slight indication of footsteps or breathing.

"Who's there?" Hiro finally spoke up, unable to bear the strange silence any longer.

"Shh!" The hissing reply stunned him into silence again. The voice was gentle and as the figure moved closer, Hiro realized that it wasn't a guard at all, but a woman. "You must be quiet!" She whispered softly as she knelt beside him.

"Who are you?" He replied, also in a whisper, feeling that this was the appropriate tone for him to use.

"I am here to take you away." She replied, speaking so quietly that he had to lean forward just to hear her properly. Her kimono rustled slightly as she pulled a ring of keys out from where she had tucked them into her sash. "The guard is gone for a moment, but he will return sooner than I like. We must hurry."

Hiro was watching her in shock and confusion. "Who are you?"

"I have no time to explain now, but you must trust me and you also must forgive me from being so forward with you. I know it is not proper of me, but I have no choice in the situation." She used the keys to unfasten his shackles, then tucked the keys back into her sash and motioned for him to stand. "Please come with me now, and move quietly."

Hiro felt instinctively that this was a woman he should trust. Also, if she was lying to him, he couldn't imagine that his fate would be any worse than it was already destined to be the next day. He followed her from the cell, walking as quietly as he physically could muster. She led him up the stairs that he was led up a few days ago by the guard, but instead of leading him toward the meeting hall, she took him through a small door and down a cramped corridor that felt as though it were not meant for frequent use. At the end of the corridor they came to another door that took them outside. It was dark outside. A few lanterns were hung, but they were all extinguished and Hiro had a suspicion that she was responsible for the darkness.

They walked in silence through the gardens and finally crossed past the boundary of the emperor's property. They made it into a barren field and the woman crouched low, motioning for him to do the same, which he did quickly. She started to move quickly, nearly running, but always crouched low as though trying to hide in the tall grass. Hiro found it difficult to run in that position, but did so as well as he could. It felt as though they had been moving for over a half an hour before she stopped. They had traveled over a low hill and had reached the gully. She knelt below a boulder and he did the same.

"We will rest here. Catch our breath before we move again."

"Can you tell me who you are now? And where we are going?"

"I am taking you to a man who wants to meet you." She explained simply. "He saw you in the field the day that my brother took you…"

"Your brother? The emperor is your brother?"

"He is."

"Then you must be a princess or something…"

"I am the Princess Kaori." She responded casually. "But I am not proud of being his sister, which is why I have saved you. The man that my brother was trying to kill the day you interrupted…" He could see her face only slightly in the moonlight, but he could tell that she was smiling. "He is the man that I love. He is a good man and he is a fighter for the people."

"What does he want with me?"

"I don't know, but you saved his life and for that we are both grateful." She touched his hand briefly, but pulled away with a sharp gasp.

"Is something wrong?" Hiro asked quickly.

"You…" Her eyes were wide. "You are not from here."

"Yes I am. I was born here."

"Here yes, but not now. You are in the wrong time." She placed both of her hands on his arm and shut her eyes tightly. When she opened them again her mouth was gaping. "You traveled through time and space to come here now."

"Yes, I did." Hiro was confused about how she knew this, but relieved that someone finally understood him. "How…how do you see that?"

"I don't know." She shrugged. "I just can. When I touch people I can see things about them…"

"You have a gift." He decided.

"I'm not sure I could call it a gift."

"Yes, you do. It is a gift. I have a gift too. I can move through time and space, as you have seen. I come from the future." Hiro explained.

She smiled slightly. "Why did you come here?"

"I didn't mean to. I'm not sure how I got here actually."

She leaned back and reached back to fix her hair. She pulled out a hairpin and placed it between her lips as she tried to twist her hair back again. Hiro glanced at the carved pearl hairpin. His eyes stretched excitedly and he took it from her, analyzing the design more closely.

"Godsend." Hiro murmured.

"Yes." She confirmed. "That's what it means. My love gave me this hairpin."

"Our gifts, they are a godsend." Hiro told her. "This symbol represents that. I believe that we have them for a reason. A purpose that is a part of our destiny, and somehow all of us with gifts are linked."

"All? You mean there are more?"

"Yes. Where I come from there are many." Hiro told her. "Do you know anymore here?"

"Perhaps him." She considered it.

"Him who? Your love?"

"Yes, my love. His name is Takezo Kensei."

_NOAH BENNETT_

_ODESSA, TEXAS_

Making the decision to leave his daughter in New York, alone, and with no certainty that she would be alive the next time he saw her, if and when she ever came back home, was the most difficult thing Noah Bennett had ever done. When he had woken up alone in the hotel, Mr. Bennett had felt instinctively that she had runaway with no intention of returning. When he spotted the note on the table, his suspicions were confirmed. His first reaction was to chase her and force her to return with him, but if the past fifteen years had taught him anything it was that his daughter was a very smart and determined young woman. If she believed that this was something that she needed to do and alone, then he felt certain she wouldn't let him get in her way.

Hating himself all the way to the airport, Mr. Bennett resolutely refused to give up on helping his precious Claire any way he could, even if he wouldn't physically be with her every step of the way. He scoured through his dozens of computer files that he had been compiling or the past many years, on Claire and other targets of the Company he had regretfully dedicated so much of his life to. If he was going to help his daughter figure out her life, he needed to understand the complex mysteries of the Company, as well as how Linderman's organization and everyone else with special abilities tied in together. Before he was able to concentrate enough to begin his research, however, Mr. Bennett needed to make one last attempt to care for his daughter's safety. The only way he knew how was to make sure that she wasn't going to be utterly alone.

Having already talked to Dr. Suresh, Mr. Bennett knew that Claire had at least found somebody who could begin to give her answers, but he also knew that as well meaning as Mohinder was, he would be unable to provide for Claire fully. And since he was unable to provide for her himself, Mr. Bennett knew he had to find a temporary replacement, even if it was the last person on earth that he wanted to turn to for this problem.

"Hello?"

"Yes, umm, is this Nathan Petrelli?" Mr. Bennett asked resentfully as the politician answered the phone.

"Yes it is, who is this?" Nathan's rehearsed voice questioned calmly.

"This is Mr. Bennett, Claire's father." He paused, waiting for the effect of these words to sink in.

"Oh…umm…how did you get this number?"

"I have my connections." Mr. Bennett told him plainly.

"Of course you do." Nathan paused. "So, why are you calling me?"

"Well, first of all to see if you survived your brother's explosion last night, which I see you have, so that's good." Mr. Bennett cleared his throat. "Secondly I am calling to tell you that my daughter…_our_ daughter…is in New York right now, and I am heading back to Texas, at her request."

"I see." Now it was Nathan's turn to pause and clear his throat. "I'm not sure what this has to do with me."

"Look, I realize that you have just won your election, congratulations, and this probably isn't the best time for you to have an illegitimate daughter show up in your life, but she's just a child. She isn't good at admitting it, but she is only a child and she is not capable of taking care of herself."

"I understand your concern for her, it's touching really, but still…"

"I need you to take responsibility for her." Mr. Bennett cut him off. "These past few weeks have been unbelievably difficult for her. No child should ever have to experience the things she has been through, and now she is alone in a strange city, trying to be an independent woman. I have left the city as she has requested, but I can't continue the research I need to do unless I am certain that she's not really going to be alone."

"Mr. Bennett, Claire is a very bright girl. I'm sure she is more than capable of looking after herself."

"She might be in normal circumstances, but you know as well as I do that these are not normal circumstances and she is not a normal girl." Mr. Bennett hoped he was coming across as serious as he intended to be. "You need to look after her. You need to be there for her."

"She's not my daughter." Nathan snapped suddenly. "I mean she is, biologically, but I didn't even know she was alive! I thought she died almost fifteen years ago! And now, all of a sudden, with everything that's going on, she just shows up and what? I'm supposed to play daddy? I'm sorry, but I can't be that guy. I don't know how to be that guy!"

"You're a father, right? Claire mentioned that you have sons. Two of them, right?"

"Yes, I have two sons."

"Then you _do_ know how to be that guy, so don't pretend that you don't. You're scared. I understand that. You are afraid of what you could lose if you admit to having a daughter that nobody knows about. I'm sorry that I can't offer you a simple, stress-free solution, but sometimes we just have to face reality, despite how difficult it is." Mr. Bennett's temper was rising. He needed Nathan Petrelli to accept the responsibility that he himself could not at the moment. "Right now the reality is that there is a serial killer running around this city with Claire as one of his top priority targets, last night she had to watch one of the most important people in her life explode in the air, and my baby girl is more or less alone in the world at this moment. You have the ability to be the man, no the father, she needs her to be. I need you to step up and take responsibility."

Nathan was momentarily stunned into silence by Mr. Bennett's long lecture. When he finally did find his voice again, Nathan realized that he had no response. "I really must go now, Mr. Bennett."

"No, wait…"

"Goodbye."

Nathan hung up without another word and Mr. Bennett was left staring at the dead phone angrily. _I suppose I'll just have to count on Dr. Suresh to take care of her for me. _


	13. better late than never

_A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! I'm glad you're all enjoying this story, because I'm really enjoying writing it. I promise Peter will come into it more soon! I've just needed to get some stories started without him, but he's almost back! I also have a couple OCs in development, but again, if anyone has any requests for more OCs let me know and I'll consider working them into this story! Thanks especially to _**Troypayislove **_for the creation of the character description of Jaden who will be making his first appearance in this chapter! _

_MOHINDER, CLAIRE, MOLLY, DL, NIKI & MICAH_

_HOSPITAL, NEW YORK_

"So, you think there's some psycho wanting to kill all of us and, what exactly? Eat our brains?" DL let out a raspy cough.

"Honey, don't laugh." Niki critiqued her husband. "You're still not very strong and laughing might hurt you somehow."

DL patted her hand endearingly. "I'm fine, sweetheart, but thank you for being so concerned." He turned his eyes up to Mohinder. "Seriously though, I don't mean to laugh, but seriously…I don't understand."

"I'm sorry Mr. Hawkins, I don't know how to make this any clearer for you." Mohinder shrugged. "I suppose if you like I could go into more detail on others who Sylar has murdered in the past, thought I'm not sure if it is something the children should hear." He glanced at Molly and Micah were who listening to the conversation with rapt attention and wide eyes.

"I'll take them on a long walk to the snack machine." Claire offered.

Mohinder seemed a little hesitant to let her go.

"It's fine." Claire assured him. "I don't need to hear anymore about Sylar's killings, I've seen it firsthand, remember?" She reached out a hand to both of the children. "And don't worry about us, we'll be safe."

"Twenty minutes." Mohinder told her. "Be back in twenty minutes or I'm sending security after you."

"I promise." Claire smiled at him reassuringly and waited for the kids to take her hands. Molly did so quickly, but Micah just gave her a look that told her quite plainly he was too old for holding hands. "Fine, come on then." She motioned with her head and led the two children from the hospital room and down the hall.

"Can we go and visit Officer Parkman?" Molly asked, tugging on Claire's hand as they neared the waiting room.

"Umm…" Claire hesitated, not quite sure if Matt Parkman would be able to have visitors, or even if he was still alive. "We can try." She decided at last, unable to ignore the girl's pathetically hopeful brown eyes.

"Good." Molly walked a little quicker, though she didn't seem certain about where she was going.

Claire took charge, taking lead again and led the kids to the receptionist's desk. "Is Matt Parkman able to have visitors?"

"Let me check." The receptionist shifted through some paperwork on her desk and then turned to search the computer. "Parkman, you said?"

"Yes, Matt Parkman. He was in surgery last night for bullet wounds." Claire elucidated for the woman.

"Oh yes, I see now." The receptionist tapped her acrylic nail against the computer screen. "He's been moved to room 312, in the recovery wing."

"And can we see him?"

"Yes, visiting hours started ten minutes ago and they'll go until four." The receptionist smiled at them kindly and pointed down the hall. "Take that elevator there to the third floor and turn right. His room will be just past the main desk."

"Thank you so much." Claire squeezed Molly's hand and pulled her away from the desk, giving Micah a little nudge in the back so he would lead the way to the elevators they had been directed to.

"So he's all right then, isn't he?" Molly asked, glancing up at Claire as they waited for the elevator to arrive.

"I'm not sure, sweetie, but he is in the recovery ward, so that must be a good sign." Claire answered her honestly, secretly praying that Matt would indeed recover fully. "Just remember that he's been through a lot and he'll still probably be very tired and sore when we see him."

She nodded her understanding as the elevator doors slid open and Claire motioned the two children in with herself and pressed the button for the third floor. After exiting the elevators, the three turned right as they had been instructed and easily found room 312.

Molly hurried straight into the room without hesitancy, eager to see her hero. Micah followed Molly, but Claire hung back in the doorway. The few times she had run across Matt, things hadn't ever gone very well. She wasn't sure if he would be interested in a visit for her. She realized she really didn't know that much about him at all, other than the fact that he could read minds and he was good with a gun, since he had shot her once before.

"Officer Parkman!" Molly greeted the ex-cop with a wide grin, stopping beside his bed and reaching to grasp his hand.

"Molly, what are you doing here?" Matt returned her grin, though it seemed like it was an effort for him to do so.

"I came to visit you!" She told him matter-of-factly. "I wanted to come earlier, but last night you were still in surgery. How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling just fine." He assured her. "The doctors here know what they're doing. They've got me all patched up and they say I should be well enough to leave in a week or two." With some effort, Matt turned up the palm of his hand and she slipped her tiny hand into his anxiously.

"I knew you'd be okay!"

"I'm glad you came to see me." Matt told her. His eyes darted over to Micah who was standing a little behind Molly. "I remember you. You were with the blonde woman…"

"She's my mom."

"Right. Her name's Niki or Jessica or something?"

"Niki's my mom." Micah corrected him quickly. "Have you met Jessica?"

"Yea, I have." Matt frowned thoughtfully. "She didn't leave a very good impression on me though."

"Yea, she's not exactly someone who you'd choose to be friends with. My mom's great though. You'd like her." Micah decided. "Everyone does."

"I'll have to meet her sometime." Matt smiled. His eyes drifted further and he finally noticed Claire lingering in the doorway. "Hey Claire!"

She felt a little less nervous by the friendly tone he greeted her with, but she still remained outside the room. "Hi, Mr. Parkman."

"Are you here with the kids, or just ironically stopping by at the same time?"

"No, I'm here with them. I mean, I wanted to come and visit you too, but I'm sort of the babysitter right now. Niki and Dr. Suresh are talking to Micah's dad. He's recovering from a gunshot wound too actually." She took a tentative step into the room and when Matt smiled at her warmly she felt more inclined to approach closer.

"I'm glad you came. I saw you at Kirby Plaza, and I was hoping everything turned out okay." He drew in a slow breath, clearing still suffering from the recent surgery. "Judging by the fact that the city's still here and everything, I'm guess you found a way to stop Peter from blowing up."

Claire shook her head. She felt the familiar sensation of tears burning behind her eyes, but again she was dry, unable to release the much-needed tears. "Peter did explode…but he's okay." She added quickly when she noticed his expression. "Nathan stepped in just in time. I didn't have to shoot him."

"Good, that's good." Matt kept staring at her. "Is your dad around?"

"No. He went back to Texas."

"And left you here alone? That doesn't seem very like him."

"I know. It wasn't easy to get him to leave." Claire admitted.

"So, what are you doing here on your own then? Do you have anyone to stay with?"

"I'm staying with Dr. Suresh right now, with Molly." Claire glanced at the side table and noticed a small vase of flowers. "Are those from your family? Have they come to see you?"

Matt turned his head sideways. "No, actually those are from one of my doctors. He's a nice kid. He noticed that none of my family had come to visit yet and felt bad for me, I guess."

"That's so sweet." Claire leaned over to sniff the flowers instinctively. "Do you have family coming? Have they been called?"

"I believe my wife has been contacted. I can't get a hold of her at home, so I hope that means she might be coming." He paused. "Though I'm not really sure what I'll say to her if she does come."

"Does she know about…" Claire glanced over her shoulder at the open door and when she was certain that no one could overhear she continued. "Does she know about what you can do?"

"Yea. I told her a while ago, but she doesn't know about Sylar and everything else that I've been involved with."

"Well, good luck with that." Claire didn't know what else to say. She couldn't imagine telling someone everything that Matt would have to tell his wife. "We should probably get back soon. Dr. Suresh will freak if we're late." She started ushering the kids toward the door, but then stopped. "Look, if you need anything, or anyone to talk to, I mean I know I'm just a kid really, but I'm more mature than I might seem…" She moved back to the side of his bed and pulled a gum wrapper from her jacket pocket. "I'm going to give you my phone number. I'm here if you ever need me for any reason." She used a pen from the bedside table to scribble down her cell and then set the gum wrapper beside the vase of flowers.

"Thanks Claire." He reached out and took her hand as she turned to leave. "I want to give you my number too. I know it won't be easy for you in this city without any family."

She pulled out her cell phone and set it up for him to enter his phone number in her contacts list. After he finished and returned her phone, she gave him a grateful smile.

"I'll keep in touch, and I'll try to come and visit you again, if that'd be okay."

"Please do." Matt squeezed her hand quickly before releasing her.

"Okay kids, let's get back to the others." She waved to Matt over her shoulder and turned to follow the kids from the room. While her eyes were still on Matt though, she accidentally bumped into someone who was entering the room. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" She gushed instantly. "I wasn't paying attention…"

"No, not at all. I wasn't looking where I was walking either." The guy, whom with one glanced at his attire, Claire realized was a doctor, smiled sweetly at Claire, reaching out a hand to steady her. "I didn't realize you had visitors, Matt!"

Matt grinned. "Yea, see you're not the only one who cares whether I live or die!"

"Are they your family?"

"Something like that." Matt winked at Claire who smiled understandingly.

"Well, I'm glad you came to visit. I was starting to think he was all alone in the world." The doctor moved to the bedside and began to check Matt's vitals.

"No need to be mean." Matt joked, holding up his arm obligingly for the doctor to check his pulse. "They were just leaving though."

"Well, please don't leave on my account." The doctor smiled directly at Claire, who blushed under his unfaltering gaze.

"We aren't." Claire assured him quickly. "We just have other people to see."

"More than one visit in the hospital at once? That's a little unlucky for you, isn't it?"

"Yea, it is." Claire noticed Molly starting to slip back towards Matt and she placed her hands on the girl's shoulders to restrain her. "We should get going though."

"Thanks again for stopping by Claire." Matt spoke up. "And for bringing Molly to see me." He smiled at the girl who was beaming back at him.

"Claire, eh? It was nice to meet you." The doctor was still smiling at her and she felt her cheeks growing even warmer. "Or see you at least. I'm Jaden, or well Dr. Hill I suppose. I'm only an intern here though, so you can call me Jaden."

"Thanks, it was nice to meet you too Dr. Hill…Jaden." Claire tried hard to stop her mind from mentally memorizing all of the doctor's attractive qualities as she stepped backwards out of the room. "Thanks for taking care of Matt. He's very important to us all."

"Of course. It's a pleasure."

"Bye!" she waved at Matt, smiled once more at Jaden, and then led the kids quickly back down to the elevators.

"That doctor seemed nice." Molly commented obliviously as she waited with Claire and Micah at the doors to the elevator. "I'm glad Mr. Parkman has someone looking out for him."

"Me too." Claire replied automatically. She pressed the button for the elevators again, even though it was already lit. "I hope Dr. Suresh and Niki don't freak out because we're late." She pounded on the button impatiently. "All we need right now is a full-blown search of the hospital just because we're a few minutes overdue."

Micah smiled at her reassuringly. "Mom's pretty good about staying calm."

"Yea, but what about Dr. Suresh? He's never been a dad before and now he's doing his best to take care of Molly…" She grinned. "I'm assuming he won't be as good at staying calm."

The elevator doors opened and Claire hurriedly ushered the kids inside and pressed the button for the second floor. The doors had just started to slide shut again, but a hand slipped in between them, forcing them to reopen.

"Claire!"

Claire was too shocked to respond, she could only stare, realizing that her mouth had dropped open slightly.

"Claire…" He was still holding the elevator doors open, but when an angry alarm sounded, he stepped into the elevator so the doors could shut. "Are you going to say anything?"

"Umm…what the hell are you doing here?"

"Yes, that's a good question…" He hesitated briefly. "I wanted to see you."

"Why?"

"Because I needed to…I needed to apologize for what I said to you earlier, on the phone. And I needed to make sure that you were all right."

"There's nothing to apologize for, Nathan." Claire snapped at him. "You spoke what you felt and I'm glad that I heard it so I won't have any false hopes for our future together."

"Claire, I just flew here from DC. I think I have earned at least five minutes of your time." Nathan shoved his hands in the pockets of his suit jacket, looking strangely insecure for the first time Claire had seen.

"Fine. Five minutes." Claire glanced up as the elevator dinged and the doors opened. "I have to go see Dr. Suresh first though, just to check in. He'll worry otherwise."

"That's fine, I'll go with you." Nathan walked out of the elevator with the two girls and Micah and followed them down the hall to DL's room.

"You're late!" Mohinder commented the instant that they entered the room.

"By like a minute." Claire retorted with a smile. She didn't know how to tell him that she was actually flattered by how worried he was about her and the others. It made her feel cared for, which was clearly something she wouldn't get from Nathan.

Mohinder frowned as he noticed Nathan hanging back in the doorway. "Mr. Petrelli, I didn't expect to see you here."

"I came to talk to my daughter." He responded bluntly.

Claire rolled her eyes. "So now I'm your daughter?"

Niki was determinedly keeping her eyes off of Nathan, who seemed equally determined not to look at her. "Claire, you're always my daughter, that doesn't change simply because I haven't told my wife about you yet." He stepped towards her, but she backed away. "Look, you said you were going to give me a chance to hear what I had to say."

"You're right." Claire gave in. "We're going to talk. I'll be back." She told the others briefly before following Nathan from the room.

"Be safe!" Mohinder called after her. She waved her hand over her shoulder to show that she had heard him.

Once they had reached the lobby, Nathan motioned Claire into a chair and he sat across from her looking more nervous by the second.

"So?" Claire waited for him to speak, but when he didn't she had to prod him.

"I'm sorry."

"You've said that bit already." Claire knew that the fact he had flown all the way to New York to talk to her in person was a pretty big gesture in itself, but she couldn't resist giving him a hard time. He had hurt her feelings, and she wasn't accustomed to forgiving people that easily.

"Your dad called me."

"Oh. So is that why you came? Did he threaten you? Or, I know, he asked you to come and check up on me to make sure I was staying out of trouble…"

"Sort of." Nathan nodded. "He didn't threaten me. He just reminded me that you're my daughter too and, you're still only a child…" He paused, knowing that wasn't what she wanted to hear. "I wanted to come and see you. Talking to you was comforting, in a way, but I wanted to see for myself that you really were okay."

"Well, thanks then." Claire sighed. "I'm sorry you had to come all this way though. I really am okay."

Making the decision to fly to New York came to Nathan almost the minute he had hung up on Noah Bennett. He had known instinctively that he needed to see Claire. He wanted to see her. Now that he was there though, he had no idea what had inspired his decision. He hadn't a clue what to say to her and mostly he just felt pathetic, because she clearly had no desire to be talking with him.

"I wish I didn't disappoint you so much, Claire. I wish I could be the father that you need me to be. I want to announce you to the world and tell everyone that I have a beautiful daughter who is smart and strong, and who I couldn't be more proud of, but I can't." For a split second, Claire thought he might actually cry, but he quickly recovered the perfectly emotionless expression that he was so practiced at and continued without a trace of tears in his voice. "I have been elected to serve and to make everyone proud, and I intend to do just that. This city is going to be looking to me as a leader and right now, I am not sure how to fit you into everything."

"You know I'm not lying when I say that I understand, Nathan. I truly do. When I came to New York a few days ago, it wasn't to see you. I didn't come running here so that you could save me from some hopeless life. I came here to see Peter and just happened to be swooped up into your crazy family." Claire reminded him. "So, don't feel bad about not playing the daddy role. I wasn't looking for it."

Her announcement seemed to awaken a sudden confidence in him. "Just because I don't know how to fit you in, doesn't mean I don't want to be your father. I do. It simply might take a while. I do, however, want to take care of you as a father should, even if I can't make that public at this time."

"What exactly does that mean?"

"I want to provide for you. You should never have to want for anything."

"You don't owe me anything." Claire narrowed her bright eyes at him. "I don't want your charity, or whatever it is that you feel like dishing out to me."

"I'm not talking about charity, Claire. I'm talking about my position in your life as your father." He leaned forward a little, wanting to make her fully understand what he was trying to say. "I want to take care of you. If you would like to stay here in New York, and personally I hope you do, then I would like to find you someplace to live, a condo or somewhere…"

"Nathan, no offense, but I really don't need your help. I'm more than capable of taking care of myself…"

"Claire, I'm not trying to imply that you can't, I just want to help. I really do want to be a part of your life, and I want you to be a part of mine. Why is it so hard for you to accept that I genuinely care about you?"

"What's my middle name?" Claire asked suddenly. "Why was I named 'Claire' even?"

"What?" Nathan was at a loss for her sudden inquiries.

"Why did I have to use crutches for six months in the sixth grade? What's my favorite color? Who was my first kiss?" She paused. "How did I first learn about my abilities?"

"Claire…" His voice faltered. "I don't have a response for you."

"That's because you don't know me. You're not a part of my life. You never have been."

"I thought you were dead." He retorted quickly. "You can't blame me for that! If I had known…if I had any reason to believe that you had lived…"

"What? Would you have married my mother, raised me as a family should?"

"I don't know Claire. I can't give you an answer for that. We were both so young when you were born. Meredith and I barely had a relationship for more than a few weeks before she told me that she was pregnant. I was shocked…" He cleared his throat. "But I would have stayed with her. When she told me that she was pregnant, I was terrified, but I was also excited. I wanted to be a father."

"You didn't stay with her though." Claire reminded him. "I was almost two years old when the fire happened and you weren't there."

"I know. I stayed with her through the pregnancy and then at the hospital…" This time tears really did start to form in his eyes. Claire was stunned. "I was there the night you were born. You were a beautiful baby, Claire. 6 lbs. exactly." He smiled. "I spent the entire night with your mom in the hospital room, sleeping on a roll-away bed. I barely slept though. I spent half the night with my face pressed up against the window of the nursery, just staring at you."

"Why are you telling me all this?" Claire was feeling a little uncomfortable at the sudden sprint down memory lane with her biological daddy. She felt more comfortable having him remain distant and cold. Seeing him express emotion was a little too weird for her.

"I am trying to make you understand what I am having a difficult time with. It's not just about my political image." He insisted. "Let me just finish explaining, okay?"

"Okay." Claire nodded, settling back in her chair to let him speak his piece.

"After that first night I had to leave for a few hours, for work purposes, and when I returned to the hospital she had checked out. There was nothing, no note, no explanation, nobody there could tell me anything except that she took you and checked out." Nathan shook his head. "That was the last I heard for months. She finally called me on your first birthday to tell me that she was living with you in Texas. When I asked her why she had left, she made up some story about being scared of marriage, but I have different suspicions."

"Like what?"

"Suspicions that involve my mother, and her obsessive hobby of interfering in other people's lives." Nathan explained.

Claire nodded. "She does seem to have a way of manipulating people."

"Yes she does." Nathan sighed. "By the time that Meredith had called to confess about where she was, I had moved on with my life. I was finishing up my law degree and starting to date again. I wanted to meet you, of course, but at that point it didn't make sense. She had a life set up with you and clearly had no desire for me to be a part of it. We kept in touch through phone calls for a few months. The last call I had from her was actually the night before the fire. After that I feel that I grieved for you as if I had been raising you for the past year, but as far as I knew, you were dead. There was no reason for me to suspect otherwise."

"I know."

"Claire, if I had had my way from the beginning, you would have always been my daughter." Nathan told her honestly.

She stayed quiet, not able to respond to his confession.

"I know that I barely know you. I don't know your favorite color, or whether you have a boyfriend, and no, I don't know you're middle name, but I know that you are my daughter and if you let me, I want to spend time learning all those things about you. I want to know you and I want to have you in my life, finally." Nathan finished and sat back, waiting for Claire to respond.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she spoke after a few moments of silence. "Elizabeth."

"I'm sorry?"

"My middle name is Elizabeth." She repeated. "My favorite color is red, and I don't have a boyfriend…anymore."

Nathan smiled, instantly feeling more relaxed. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." She also smiled. "I don't want a condo though. I want to be a part of your life, but in order for that to happen, I need you to be honest about me to your family. I can't just be the daughter you have hidden away somewhere. When you're ready to accept me fully and tell your wife about me, then I'll be waiting."

"I want to tell Heidi. I really do. And I want Monty and Simon to know their sister. I just need time." Nathan replied.

"I know. And I'm giving you time, but I have already waited for fifteen years." She hesitated. "I won't wait forever…Dad."

"I won't ask you to." Nathan stood and she followed suit. After a brief hesitation, he held out his arms and she allowed him to fold her into a slightly awkward hug. When they broke apart, both of them had tears in their eyes. "Come on, let's get back to the others."

Claire allowed Nathan to hold his arm around her shoulders as he walked her back down the hall to DL's room. When they entered, Nathan headed straight to Mohinder, while Claire moved to Molly's side.

"Did you have a good chat?" Mohinder asked cordially.

"We did." Claire confirmed.

"Dr. Suresh, I have to return to DC for a couple days for some meetings and whatnot, but after that my family and I will be coming back home." Nathan started explaining his plans. "I can't be positive about what we'll be doing, but eventually I plan on bringing Claire home with me. Until I am able to do that though, can I ask you to take care of her for me?"

Mohinder nodded. "I have already told her she's welcome to stay with me as long as necessary."

"Thank you." Nathan nodded and turned to leave. "Goodbye Claire." He waved to her from the door, still avoiding eye contact with Niki.

"Bye!" Claire returned the wave, feeling more lighthearted than she had in the past few weeks. Somehow that short discussion with Nathan seemed to somehow clear almost all the stress that she had been dealing with. Even though her life was still an absolute mess, just knowing that Nathan hadn't always been as absent as he was now, and even more than that, he wanted to establish a relationship with her. _Better late than never. _


	14. Coffee With a Cutie

_A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I'm glad you all enjoyed the tender Nathan/Claire scene. That was incredibly difficult to write because I wanted to keep Nathan in character, but also show a part of him that the show doesn't really show. Peter has arrived and I promised his role will become more significant. Also, Sylar is alive, as I've said, and I will soon be explaining where he is. For the future, due to _**Sargeant Scarlett**_'s review, I will be making the chapter titles capitalized as they should be properly. I've been writing them lower-case and I know some of you may not have even noticed, but I suppose some of you might have. So small thing, but there it is! Thanks again for the reviews and keep them up! _

_MATT & CLAIRE_

_HOSPITAL, NEW YORK_

"Hey, back already?" Matt grinned up at Claire as she entered the room.

"Well, I thought you might like some company." Claire returned his grin as she approached the side of his bed. "Hope you don't mind."

"Not at all, it's good to see a friendly face." Matt watched her place a new vase full of sunflowers on the table beside the bed.

"I'm not sure how to choose flowers for a guy, but these are my favorites."

"They're nice Claire, thank you." Matt patted her hand sweetly. "And it's nice of you to stop by, really. I've been hoping my wife would come, but she hadn't gotten here yet. It's probably better that way though, because I still have no idea what I'm going to say to her." He readjusted his position in the bed, trying to sit up higher and Claire quickly helped him fix his pillows for more comfort. "Claire, you're being really nice coming here to visit me, but why?"

"Why what?"

"Why are you here? You barely know me. The few times we've run across each other, didn't exactly go so well." He smirked. "I killed you once, remember?"

"Yea, I remember, but you only did that because I told you to." Claire reminded him.

"That doesn't really explain what you're doing here though."

She hesitated for a moment and then sighed. "It's either here or at the hotel. There I have to listen to Dr. Suresh going over and over all his files, trying to make sense of all his scientific mumbo-jumbo." She shrugged. "I was going crazy there to be honest."

"Well, I'm glad I can offer you distraction." He paused. "I bet it doesn't help that the young doctor looking after me looks like a model."

Claire pretended to be shocked at his suggestion. "Really? I didn't notice."

"Uh-huh, right." He was grinning again. "Just keep telling yourself that."

"Anyway, I'm here to entertain you." Claire perched on the side of the bed. "So, what do you want to do? We could play cards. Do you play cards?"

"Yea, I like playing cards, when I have the time." Matt agreed, and then he hesitated. "Dr. Suresh does know where you are, doesn't he? I mean I wouldn't want him to have a panic attack or anything when he discovers you're missing!"

"Don't worry. I got his permission to come and hang out here. I guess he assumes the hospital's pretty secure."

Matt shifted his legs to the side so she'd have more room on the bed. "What do you mean by secure? Why's he so paranoid for your safety? I thought he was just looking after you so you could learn more about your powers…"

Claire frowned. "You didn't hear did you?"

"Hear what?"

"Sylar didn't die." Claire told him solemnly. "At Kirby Plaza. We all thought he had died when Hiro stabbed him, but he didn't, I guess. I'm not really sure on the specifics, but I know that he's alive, and so Dr. Suresh is pretty sure that he's going to be on the hunt again."

"That's not exactly comforting."

"I know." Claire twirled a piece of hair around her finger habitually. "It's a little terrifying actually, especially since Dr. Suresh thinks I'm going to be his number one target, just like before."

"He says the hospital's safe though, right?" Matt clarified. "You're safe here?"

"Maybe." Claire spotted a glass of ice chips on the side table and snatched one out, popping it into her mouth. "Sylar doesn't seem to be a guy who intimidates easily. Why should a hospital stop him?"

"Again, not very comforting Claire."

"I know." She tried to smile, but Matt saw the terror in her eyes.

"Okay, do you know how to play gin rummy?" Matt was eager to change the subject, trying to keep the young girl's mind off her fear.

"Of course I do. Do you have a deck of cards?"

"Yea, Dr. Hill gave me some cards so I could play solitaire." He reached into a drawer and produced the deck. "You deal, it's still a little painful for me to move too much." He handed her the deck and she started shuffling.

Claire started dealing cards. "So tell me something about yourself, Officer Parkman."

"Well, first of all, I'm not exactly an Officer anymore, so why don't you just call me Matt."

"Will do." Claire snatched another ice chip and started sucking on it. "Now, for starters, let's talk about that. Why aren't you an officer anymore?"

"Well, when I started hearing voices, I tried helping my FBI partner find Sylar…she believed that I could read minds, but everyone else thought I was a bit…delusional."

"So they took away your badge?" Claire sighed. "That's so unfair. That's exactly why I don't tell people about my ability."

"Why's that exactly? So they don't take away your cheerleading badge?" Claire scoffed at his joke and chucked an ice chip at him. It hit him in the shoulder and he pretended that it hurt. "Careful, I'm injured remember! Four bullets in the chest, and unlike some people I'm not indestructible!" He chucked the ice back at her, but missed.

"Anyway, I'm not a cheerleader anymore."

"Oh? The way your dad talked, it sounded like cheer was a big deal for you."

"It was." Claire stated simply. "Things change."

"Right, that girl that died, the cheerleader, she was a friend of yours wasn't she?"

"Something like that." Claire shrugged. "I don't really like to talk about it."

"Of course, I'm sorry." He discarded and was silent for a minute, and then chose a new topic. "Let's talk about your family."

Claire laughed. "You sort of know about them, don't you? I mean you were with my dad for a few days, and you saw what my mom's like…"

"Not the Bennetts. The Petrellis."

"How did you know about them?"

"Your dad mentioned it."

"Right." Claire picked up a card, shuffled her hand around and then discarded. "Well, there's not much to tell about people I don't really know. My dad's just been elected to congress, which is great for him and his family, but he doesn't really know how to fit me in yet."

"I'm sorry. That must be difficult for you."

"It's a little frustrating, maybe confusing is a better word…" Claire shrugged. "I can deal though. That's why I'm in New York, to figure out what's going to happen with my life now. It's not that bad really. Dr. Suresh is really nice and he's trying to help me understand my ability better. Plus Molly's totally adorable and I think it's good for her to have another girl around. I don't think Dr. Suresh is quite ready to play daddy for her yet."

"Is he keeping her then? I don't really understand how that will work…"

"Yea, I don't think any of us are clear about that situation." Claire drew a card, considered her hand for a moment and then discarded again. "Molly's an orphan, as you know, but she was never sorted into foster care because she was immediately taken into custody by whatever organization has been screwing with all our lives. So for now she's staying with us, but I don't know what will happen with her in the long run."

"She shouldn't be put into a foster home." Matt said emphatically. "She's been through so much already…"

"I agree. I wish I were old enough to take care of her, but I'm not legally even old enough to take care of myself yet." Claire rolled her eyes.

"What are you going to do, Claire?" Matt asked suddenly. "You can't stay with Dr. Suresh forever. Are you going to live with your dad? Your real dad, Nathan."

Claire shrugged. "I don't know. I think I might like to. I'd like to get to know him, but I just don't know."

"He's nice though, right?"

"Yea, I think he is. We talked a little yesterday, he actually came to the hospital to see me." Claire discarded and Matt quickly snatched up the card. "It's not just him that I'll have to get used to living with though. He has a whole other family! And his mother isn't exactly someone I'm eager to see again…" She noticed Matt's confused frown and explained briefly. "We didn't separate on the best of terms. I actually jumped out of a window to escape from her."

"Wow." Matt was laughing now. "What about Peter though? You two seem to get along well."

"Yea, Peter's great." Claire smiled. "Actually he's incredible."

"And he's alive right? You mentioned that he survived."

"Yep, he called me from Canada and said he's on his way back here now, so hopefully I'll see him again soon."

"What was he doing in Canada?"

"I have no idea!" Claire laughed. "I just can't wait to see him…oh..oh…" She analyzed her cards for a moment and then laid them all down excitedly. "Gin!"

"Oh come on!" Matt sighed and slapped down his hand with exaggerated anger. "You cheated."

"Did not!" Claire protested. "I never cheat! I'm just lucky."

"Lucky, are you?"

Claire's head whipped around at the voice in the doorway. She smiled instinctively at the young doctor whom she had met the day before. "Hi!" She cleared her throat quickly when she realized that her voice was sounding much squeakier than usual. _Were his eyes always that incredible? _She tried not to stare, but it was difficult to ignore how beautiful his deep gray eyes were. When he turned his head toward the window the sun flashed across his eyes and they gleamed silver for a moment.

"It's good to see you again, Claire." Jaden approached the bed, picked up Matt's chart and started flipping through it. "You are getting better and better every day!"

"All thanks to my excellent doctors!" Matt grinned.

"Are you sure it's not due to you're sweet visitor? I know I'd get better a hell of a lot faster if she were visiting me!" Jaden winked at Claire.

Claire gathered up the cards and started shuffling, doing her best not to look at the doctor because she knew she was blushing terribly.

"Well, I was just checking up on my way out of here for the day."

"You're leaving already?" Claire hadn't meant to speak her thoughts, but it was too late to take them back.

Jaden seemed glad that she had spoken though. "My shift's over, I've been on for twenty-four hours…" He paused, looking a little hesitant about what he was going to say. "I'm a little tired and I was thinking about maybe getting a cup of coffee before heading home."

"Good for you." Claire responded without thinking again.

"I was wondering if you might like to get a cup with me." Jaden's dark straggly hair was just long enough to tie back with what looked like a thin leather cord, but the front pieces of his hair hung loose and now he tucked them behind his ears. Despite the seemingly untidy appearance of his hair, he looked very well put together in his blue doctor scrubs and white lab coat.

Claire was silent, first from his invitation, and then because she was focusing so much on analyzing his appearance. .

Matt was trying desperately not to laugh at her and decided to speak for her. "Didn't you hear, Claire? The cute intern just asked you to get a cup of coffee."

Claire was instantly revived from her silence, but her cheeks had blushed bright pink. "Sure, Dr. Hill, I'd love some coffee."

"Good." He winked at Matt. "Thanks for the help. Oh, and Claire, do you think you could call me Jaden? Dr. Hill sounds so formal, and it's not like you're one of my patients."

"Good thing too." Matt contributed again, earning another glare from Claire.

"I'll see you later Matt," Claire lowered her voice so only he could hear. "If I ever feel like talking to you again."

"Yea, yea, enjoy yourself, but behave." Matt squeezed her hand as she slid off the bed. "Thanks for visiting Claire, seriously."

Claire nodded and eagerly joined Jaden by the door.

"So, coffee?" Jaden motioned to the right and Claire started off in that direction. "Are you old enough to drink coffee?"

Claire frowned. "Of course! How old do you think I am? You can't be that much older than me!" She continued rambling, feeling instantly insecure. "How old are you?"

He grinned. "I'm not that old, don't worry. I started college young and then graduated early, so I'm only twenty-one now."

"Oh, that's not…" She hesitated. "That's not that old."

"That's what I said." He led her down the hall to the elevator. "You're still in high school, I imagine."

"Yes." Claire hated admitting it, knowing that he was four years older than she was. "But I'm going to be a senior in the fall, well I should be…technically."

"Technically?"

"Yea, well, I've sort of been missing school for a couple weeks now…"

"Why's that? Are you considering dropping out?"

"No, not at all." Claire considered how to answer him. She couldn't exactly tell him that she left to save the world. "It's been a complicated year. Family issues." She added quickly, and he seemed to accept the answer. "So, how'd you get into medicine?" Claire was eager to change the subject and Jaden didn't fight her on it.

"My dad." He gave her the answer simply as the elevator opened and they stepped in.

"Oh? Is he a doctor too?"

"No, actually he passed away when I was just a kid."

"Oh! I'm so sorry." Claire mentally rebuked herself for bringing up such a painful subject.

"Don't be. It was a lifetime ago, and I've dealt with it." He gave her a reassuring smile. "But what I meant was, my dad was sick for a long time, in the hospital, so I hung out there a lot in junior high and early in high school. Watching the doctors doing their best to help him and all the other sick people…" He held up his hands. "I was sold. There was nothing else in the world that I dreamed of doing."

"That's really beautiful."

"Thanks." Jaden was laughing at Claire, and she again rebuked herself for being such an idiot and speaking without thinking.

"I know that sounded totally lame, but I mean it in a good way." Claire assured him. "The truth is, you sort of remind me of someone that I know."

"Someone you like, I hope."

"Absolutely!" Claire grinned. "He's the best, and he's a nurse, with the same sort of caring heart that you have."

"I see." The elevator reached the floor that Jaden had chosen and they exited. There was a coffee kiosk at the end of the hall near one of the larger lobbies. "I know it doesn't look like much, but I assure you this place makes the best espressos."

"Sounds good to me." Claire let Jaden order them two espressos, which he also paid for, and then they stepped aside to wait for the coffee to be made.

"How do you know Matt?" Jaden asked as they waited.

"Umm, well, he's friends with my dad, sort of." Claire knew that her story sounded faulty, due to her stuttering and struggling for words.

"I see. And that makes him close enough for you to spend time with at the hospital?" Jaden did not look convinced.

"Yea, well, he doesn't have anyone else here to visit him, and he's nice." She hoped she was sounding more convincing this time. "If it were me, I'd hope somebody would come and visit me."

"Well, yea, me too, but the two of you don't exactly seem like you've got a lot in common. I mean, he's a middle-aged ex-cop, and you're a high school…" He paused. "Cheerleader."

"How did you know that I as a cheerleader?" Claire demanded instantly.

"I didn't." He responded, equally quickly. Her fierce tone alarmed him. "I was just saying that you fit the look of the stereo-typical cheerleader." He laughed a little as her frown turned into a glare. "Nothing negative. It's just, you do seem like one of those girls."

"One of those girls? What's that supposed to mean?" Claire wasn't going to let him off easy. She'd had had enough struggle with trying to convince her best friend Zach that she wasn't a pure bitch of a cheerleader, and now she was more than prepared to win the battle with the doctor as well. "Let me guess, cheerleaders weren't exactly your friends in high school? Were you a nerd?"

"Whoa there! Now come on, I didn't mean to offend you, Claire!" Jaden held up his hands defensively. "It's just weird for a girl like you to be hanging out with a guy like him, that's all…"

"Trust me, there's a lot more to me than meets the eye. Matt and I have a lot in common." Claire was relieved when their espressos were up and Jaden retrieved them, because it gave her an opportunity to change the subject. The current conversation was becoming a little too hostile for her comfort. "Have you always lived in New York?"

"More or less." Jaden answered.

"That's not a very good answer."

"Well, I was born here, but I've traveled a lot."

"Oh? With family?"

"Something like that."

Now it was Claire's turn to be confused by his dodgy answers. She wanted to ask him more, but before she got a chance she heard her name being called out from across the room. She recognized the voice instantly and spun around to locate it. She spotted him near the receptionist's desk.

"Peter!"


	15. Welcomes

_A/N: Sorry for the delay, I've been busy packing up to head back to school, and writing has unfortunately been pushed to the back of my agenda. I'm hoping to get a few more updates in though before school starts, which is in two weeks. I'm especially excited for the next chapter I'm writing because of the character…that's all I'm going to say though. I hope you're all enjoying this story…if you are please review and let me know! I hate to nag, but reviews are very encouraging for all the writing that I do, they let me know that I'm not just wasting my time for my own enjoyment, but I'm wasting it for others as well! Even just one word is encouraging…okay, that's all. Thanks in advance. XOXO_

_HIRO NAKAMURA_

_KYOTO, JAPAN_

"In here."

Hiro followed the Princess into a dark tunnel, a little confused about where they were heading, but obedient nonetheless. The wood platform of her shoes scuffled soundlessly through the slightly damp tunnel, but she moved so swiftly that Hiro had to almost run to keep up with her. The tunnel went on for almost a full mile, and Hiro was nearly panting by the time she stopped.

"We're here." The princess announced finally.

"Where exactly?" Hiro stared hard ahead, but all he saw was darkness.

She pressed her hand against the wall of the tunnel, working her fingers around until she seemed to find what she was looking for. She placed her other hand on the wall as well and her fingers seemed to dig into something as though she were working on a latch. A moment later she pulled and a door opened in the wall.

"That's cool." Hiro smiled and stepped through the door. The princess followed and shut the door again.

Now they were in another tunnel, this time an interior tunnel. The walls were lined with flickering torches. They shuffled down the hall together until the tunnel ended, emitting them into a circular room, much better lit now. Hiro instantly noticed two guards standing on either side of an arched doorway across the room; each held a long spear.

The princess made her way straight towards the doorway, completely ignoring the guards as she passed beneath the archway. Hiro followed her quickly, though he slowed a little as he neared the guards, feeling more than a little apprehensive.

"Hiro, it's okay. They won't hurt you when you're with me." She beckoned him on, noting his fear. "Takezo is waiting for us. He wouldn't want anyone to harm you on the way."

"Right." Hiro followed more quickly, trying to ignore the fact that his stomach still felt tight with tension, not only because there were armed guards, but because he was terrified about the fact that he was moments away from meeting Takezo Kenzei. "Why does he want to see me?" Hiro asked again, for what felt like the hundredth time since he had started this journey with the Princess.

"As I've already told you, he was expecting you." She tossed him a smile over her shoulder and Hiro relaxed slightly. She had a beautiful face with soft brown eyes that shimmered in the flickering light of the torches lining the walls. But her loveliest feature was her smile. Her lips were full and soft, as though the harsh daytime sun had never been given a chance to chap them.

"And why is he expecting me exactly?"

"He'll have to explain that for himself." She smiled at him again.

Hiro realized he wasn't going to get any more information out of her and so he fell silent and simply followed the Princess down the hall until she finally stopped at a door. She pushed it open and motioned for Hiro to enter first. He stepped in hesitantly and looked around.

"Don't be frightened." She spoke up as she entered behind him and let the door swing shut. "He is a good man." She pointed to the front of the room and Hiro's eyes instantly landed on the man standing there; his hands were braced against his hips proudly.

"Kaori!" As the man's eyes lighted on the princess, his stern face broke into the most genuine smile Hiro had ever witnessed any man express before. "You're safe!"

"I am." She assured him, rushing forward quickly and momentarily losing the grace of her royal heritage, behaving like any regular girl in love. She fell into her lover's open arms and he held her close.

"I didn't know where you were or if you'd been caught…" He was mumbling into her hair, and Hiro felt incredibly awkward witnessing the scene, but as he had nowhere else to turn, he was forced to stay and watch their reunion.

"I'm sorry that I worried you." She lifted her chin to him and he kissed her briefly before releasing her. He glanced over her head and his eyes connected with Hiro.

"You've come." He stated simply. Princess Kaori stepped to the side, but Takezo still kept one arm around her waist, as if afraid to let her go again. "Good." He beckoned Hiro forward.

"Takezo Kenzei!" It was all Hiro could say as he stepped up in front of the man who had been his true hero for so long. All his life he had memorized stories of the legendary man and now he was standing here in the flesh, smiling broadly at Hiro. For a minute Hiro felt like he might pass out.

"I have been waiting a long time for you!"

"Why?" Hiro wished he could think of something more brilliant to say than 'why' but the entire situation confused him too much for him to think properly.

Takezo didn't seem to mind the lame questions. He answered calmly with an excited sparkle in his dark eyes. "Because you are _the one_."

_PETER & CLAIRE _

_NEW YORK_

"Peter!" Claire sprinted through the lobby, ignoring the glares she received from the hospital staff. Her only thought was on Peter and how incredibly alive he was. When she reached him though she stopped suddenly, unsure how she should greet him.

He smiled though, and opened his arms. "Don't I even get a hug?"

She beamed and instantly flung her arms around his neck. He tightened his arms around her and held her for a moment until he felt wet tears splattering his neck.

"Hey, are you crying?"

"No." She mumbled into his shoulder.

He pulled away and looked into her face. Her eyes were brimming with tears. "Liar." He grinned and wiped at the tears leaking down her cheeks. "I didn't know you cared that much about me."

She punched him in the shoulder. "You know how much I care."

"Yea?" He hugged her again briefly and planted a kiss on top of her head. "That's good to hear."

"You have no idea how scared I was that night…" She was doing her best to control the tears, but remembering everything that had happened in Kirby Plaza brought on a fresh wave of emotion.

"I couldn't do it." She told him.

"I noticed."

"I'm so sorry I couldn't help you. I should have been able to stop you…"

"Claire, I don't hate you for not shooting me." He told her with a grin. She hated him for grinning like that when she was having such a difficult time. He was always so sure of everything, even if it might be his death. "I guess we're lucky that Nathan got there in time."

"Yea, lucky." She nodded, knowing just how lucky it was that Nathan had changed his mind in time to save them.

"Are you done crying now?" He asked, still grinning.

She nodded. "I'm sorry. I'm so lame for crying like that!" Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she realized how much she had been crying.

"No you're not." He glanced behind her and frowned. "So, how about telling me who that guy is that's glaring at me like I just broke up a wedding or something."

Claire looked over her shoulder and noticed Jaden watching them carefully, though when she smiled at him he looked away quickly as though he hadn't been watching at all. Turning back to Peter, Claire shook her head. "He's one of Matt's doctors."

"Matt? Like Parkman?" Peter frowned. "How is he?"

"Fine, he'll be fine, soon." Claire assured him. "He took four bullets, but he's actually recovering exceptionally well!"

"That's good." Peter smiled. "I should visit him."

"He'd like that."

"I'm not done discussing this Jaden character yet though." Peter told her. "Why would you be getting a cup of coffee with one of Matt's doctors?"

Claire smiled slightly. "He asked me too."

"Are you dating him?"

Claire laughed. "There are so many reasons why this is not the time or the place for this conversation, not to mention that you don't exactly have the right to this conversation in the first place." He tried to interrupt, but she spoke over him. "No, you've just gotten back, you haven't seen your family yet, we're in a hospital and I'm not having this conversation with you!"

He smiled. "Fine. You win, for now."

"Come on, Matt will want to see you!" Claire felt an urge to grab his hand, actually she just felt a need to be near him and to hold onto him and to make sure that he really was there and alive, but she wasn't sure how he would respond to such an action, so she resisted. He followed her back through the lobby and paused beside her when she stopped by the coffee cart. "Jaden, I'm sorry, to cut this short, but I didn't expect for him to show up here!"

Jaden's eyes were glued on Peter. "No, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were seeing someone."

Peter fought a grin, but Claire blushed as she tried to explain. "No! Jaden, he's not my boyfriend!" She poked Peter in the ribs when he started laughing. "Peter is my uncle."

Jaden's gray eyes brightened. "Oh? Your uncle? Seriously? No offense, sir, but you don't look like an uncle."

"I'll only take offense if you keep calling me 'sir'." Peter responded. "I doubt I'm much older than you are." He smirked and glanced briefly at Claire. "Which, by the way, if that is true, I think makes you way too old for my niece to be dating."

"Peter!" Claire squeaked with embarrassment and turned her eyes apologetically to Jaden. "He doesn't mean that. He doesn't have that sort of authority, I mean, not that we're dating or anything…" She winced at how awful her apology was coming out. Peter was only making it worse with that cocky grin of his. She took a deep breath. "Again, I'm sorry, and maybe I'll see you around sometime again, if you aren't too irritated with me…"

She was shocked to see that Jaden was actually smiling at her. "How about we rain check this coffee date until tomorrow?"

"Really?" Claire suddenly wished that Peter was somewhere far away.

"Yea, if you're interested of course." He shrugged. "My shift doesn't start until noon tomorrow, so maybe we could get some coffee in the morning."

"Sure, absolutely!" Claire hoped she didn't come off sounding too eager.

"Good." He glanced at Peter and seemed to loose a little of his nerve. "How about I call you?"

"Okay." She started to turn away.

"Umm, Claire, could I maybe get your number?" Jaden stopped her.

"Right, of course! Sorry." Claire took the pen that he was holding out for her and she scribbled her number on the top of his hand.

"Thanks, I'll call you."

"Good." She smiled at him, forgetting for a moment that she was supposed to be leaving. Finally Peter tugged on her arm, reminding her of their mission, and pulling her away from the doctor. "Bye!" She waved at Jaden as Peter continued directing her towards the elevators.

"So, tell me again how you're _not_ dating him." Peter teased her as they waited for the elevators.

She rolled her eyes at him, but smiled all the same. "I've missed you."

"You too."


	16. Facing Responsibilities

_LONDON, ENGLAND_

"How is our patient today?"

"He's doing remarkably well, considering everything of course. It hasn't been easy, but I have managed to keep all his vitals at a controlled level. Also, the bleeding has mostly stopped." The nurse reported, checking over the notes she had been taking. "Depending on how long Mr. Oakland chooses to keep him in this state, I believe he could be fully recovered within the week."

"Excellent news, Sasha. Please keep me updated."

"Will do, Mr. Philmore, sir." Sasha, the nurse, smiled as Mr. Philmore left the room leaving her, once again, alone with the patient. After a few moments a beeping alerted Sasha to a decrease in the patient's heart rate. She frowned briefly and then placed the palm of her right hand over his heart and shut her eyes in concentration. It took a little longer than she liked, undoubtedly due to his troubled state of mind, but after a minute or two the emergency beeping ceased and his heart rate had returned to normal. She smiled at her talented success and then sat in the chair she had set up beside his bed. "Don't worry Gabriel, I'm taking good care of you. The nightmares won't last forever, I promise."

_NATHAN & HEIDI PETRELLI_

_WASHINGTON DC_

"Sweetheart, are the boys ready?" Nathan stood at the bottom of the steps, hollering up to his wife.

Heidi's head poked around the corner and she frowned. "If you're in such a rush, maybe you'd like to help out a bit."

He smiled at her apologetically. "Actually, I just remembered that I've got to make a quick phone call. Take your time! I'm sorry I've been rushing you." She disappeared back into the boys' room where she was helping them pack up their things, and Nathan retreated to his office.

He knew this day was coming and he had almost tricked himself into believing that he was ready for it, but now, he wasn't so sure. The past week that he had spent with his family in DC had almost been relaxing, which was a nice change from the fast-pace year they had been forced to endure with the campaign. Even though he had spent the majority of his time with other members of congress, he still managed to have some peaceful time with his family in the evenings.

When the week was up, he had planned to confess everything to his wife that he hadn't told her yet, in particular the truth about his daughter. Now that the time had come though, he suddenly lost all nerve. He needed to talk to someone who could understand what he was going through, and help him figure out how best to tell Heidi about Claire. The only person that came to his mind was his brother and so he shut the door to his office for privacy and dialed Peter's cell.

"Hello?" Peter answered the phone after the second ring and Nathan could tell that he was laughing.

"Hey, Pete, it's me!"

"Oh! Hey, hold on a sec." Peter paused and Nathan heard beep and then his brother returned. "Hey, now you're on speaker!"

"Why?"

"So we both can hear you." Peter explained simply. "Claire, come here, Nathan's on the phone."

Nathan winced. He hadn't even considered the possibility of Peter being with Claire at that moment. _Definitely bad timing_. "Claire's with you?"

"Yea. You're actually lucky to have caught her, she's on her way out in a few minutes." Peter told him. "She has a date."

"Peter shut up!"

Nathan unintentionally smiled at the sound of his daughter's voice. He had been trying to keep in touch with her daily over the week, but he hadn't talked to her now since the day before yesterday and he was surprised at how much he had missed their conversations. "Wait a minute, did Peter say 'date'?"

"Yes I did." Peter confirmed, laughing once again.

"God, you can be such a jerk!" Claire accused. "It's not really a date, Nathan, it's just, umm…"

"A date." Peter finished for her.

"It's a meeting over dinner…" Claire was clearly fishing for a believable story.

"Who with?" Nathan demanded. He couldn't remember ever feeling this protective of anyone before. It was a strange sensation for him to experience.

"His name's Jaden, and he's really nice."

"He's way too old for her." Peter was interrupting again. "He's a doctor."

"A doctor? How old is this guy?" Nathan wanted to know.

"Not that old…" Claire hesitated.

"Claire…"

"Twenty-one." She confessed finally. "He's only an intern."

"Which is way too old for a seventeen year old girl!" Peter persisted.

"It is not." Claire argued.

"Is too."

Nathan rolled his eyes at his brother's immaturity at that moment. "Kids, can I say something?" He intervened.

"Sorry." They mumbled in unison, instantly ceasing their spat.

"What were you calling for Nathan?" Peter asked.

"Well, actually I wanted to talk with you about something…sort of privately…but if now isn't a good time…"

"No, it's fine. Claire go away." Peter laughed briefly and then gasped: "Ouch! Nathan she hit me! You've got to teach your daughter some better manners."

"Hey Nathan, when are you coming home? Peter's driving me crazy!" Claire piped up again.

"Home?" Nathan frowned. "Where are you?"

"What do you mean? I'm at your house of course." Claire answered slowly.

"You are?" Nathan panicked.

"Yea…I've been here all week. Peter said that he cleared it with you!"

"Oh?'

"I never really got around to it." Peter explained quickly. "But I didn't think you'd mind, I mean they were all crashed in that hotel, and I figured this big house was just sitting here all empty…"

"They?" Nathan cut him off. "Is it more than just you and Claire?"

"Well, yea. I couldn't just bring her by herself. That would have been incredibly rude of me. Besides, the kids are sort of attached to Claire."

"Kids? Pete, who all is there?"

"Just the group of us that you saw at the hospital." Claire told him. "You know, Dr. Suresh, Molly, Micah, and his mom."

"Niki?" Nathan nearly shouted. "You brought her to my house?" _Oh god, now I'm going to have to explain even more to Heidi. She's never going to forgive me. _

"How do you know Niki?" Claire asked quickly.

"I ran into her in Vegas once. I don't really know her." He lied partially.

"Oh, well, she's really nice! I think you'd like her."

"I'm sure I would." Nathan felt a migraine forming behind his right temple.

"Don't worry, we won't stay here." Claire told him suddenly. "Peter told us you were okay with it and that you wanted us here…I should have known he was lying. He does that."

"I do not." Peter protested.

"Claire, I do want you there." Nathan assured her. "I just hadn't really expected to have a whole household to come home to. I'm not sure how I'll explain everyone to my family…"

Peter let out an irritated sigh. "Blame me. Just tell Heidi that I had some friends who needed a place to crash and I offered your house since you were gone."

"We're leaving in ten minutes to come home though!" Nathan told him. "The house won't be empty for very long."

"Come on Nathan, I can't just put them all out on the street." Peter whined. "It'll be fine. You still have your bedroom, and the boys still have theirs. Molly's been sharing the room that mom set up for Claire a couple weeks ago, Niki and Micah have the guest room…" He paused.

"What about Dr. Suresh?"

"He can stay with me at my place."

"I don't think this is a good idea, Pete. Heidi's still getting used to you and me having special abilities. I don't know how she'll take a whole house of strangers with powers."

"So don't tell her." Peter decided.

"I'm tired of lying to my wife." Nathan sighed. "In less than an hour she'll know the truth about Claire, I don't think it's a good time to start up a whole new lie."

"You're going to tell her?" Claire gasped. "Really?"

"I told you I would." Nathan reminded her. "I've just been waiting for the right time. And now that we're returning to New York, I think it's time."

"Wow."

"Though, I don't know how she'll take it Claire. I want her to accept you as readily as I have, but you have to understand that it won't be easy for her to get used to."

"I know." Claire responded. "I don't expect her to welcome me as her own daughter or anything like that." She was quiet for a moment. "Don't worry Nathan, when you get home I won't be here."

"Claire…" Nathan hesitated.

"No, she's right Nathan. Heidi will need her space. I'll take Claire home with me. If you want to see her, or if Heidi wants to see her, just call." Peter decided.

"And as for the others…"

"I'll send them back to a hotel." Peter assured him. "You're house will be empty when you get back."

"Thanks Pete." Nathan smiled. "I better go now. I hear Heidi and the boys coming down the stairs."

"Bye!" Peter and Claire chimed in together.

"Bye." Nathan hung up the phone and shut his eyes for a moment. He hadn't been able to discuss the situation with Peter, but after hearing Claire, he realized that he didn't need to talk to anyone. He knew that he had to tell Heidi. Claire was too important for him to ignore any longer, and realizing that gave him all the confidence that he needed.

_JADEN & CLAIRE_

_NEW YORK_

"Sorry I had to cancel last night." Claire apologized again to Jaden as they waited for their dinner to be served at the Italian restaurant that he had chosen.

"It's fine Claire, really. You keep apologizing, but I told you that I understood and I do!" He assured her. "I think it's nice how important your family is to you."

Claire smiled. She was supposed to have had dinner with Jaden the night before, but had to cancel when she received a phone call from her dad and mom back in Texas. She hadn't talked to her family since she had left Mr. Bennett at the hotel, and she had been missing them so much she had preferred to stay in and talk to them for almost two hours, rather than join Jaden for dinner. Of course Jaden didn't realize that he had been cancelled on for a phone call, since he thought she lived with her parents in the city.

"Besides, tonight makes up for it, right?" Jaden reminded her.

She nodded, and felt her neck blushing at the way he stared at her. Since they failed coffee date at the hospital a week ago, Jaden and Claire had already met twice more for coffee and had lunch once. This was their first dinner, which Niki had told her was a very important date. Niki had even helped Claire with her hair and makeup for the occasion. And Claire felt beautiful, but she also felt more nervous than she had ever felt in her life. Jaden wasn't like all the boys she'd dated in high school. He was mature, and sophisticated and he made her feel older than only seventeen. Making a good impression on him was very important to her.

"So what haven't we discussed yet?" Jaden started up the conversation.

"We haven't talked about you much." Claire pointed out. "We always seem to be talking about me."

"That's because I'm convinced that you're much more interesting than I am!"

"For you maybe, but I'm bored of myself." She smiled.

"Fair enough." He returned her smile. "What do you want to know?"

"Well, for starters, where'd you go to medical school?"

"NYU." He answered simply.

"Really? That's a hard school!"

"Tell me about it."

"Okay, since you're clearly not the easiest guy to pull information out of, I'll just have to ask a lot of questions." She smiled. "You mentioned before that you traveled a lot. Tell me about that."

"What do you want to know?"

She rolled her eyes. "I don't know. Something interesting. Where've you been? What'd you do? That sort of thing."

"Well, I've been all over, really. I've traveled a lot around Europe and Asia. I studied for a while in Japan actually."

"Really? I've never traveled anywhere! Did you travel for fun, or what?"

"Mostly."

She frowned, feeling that his answers were less than satisfactory. "This might be a little personal, but how did you afford all the traveling? It must have been expensive flying to all those places."

"I guess." He shrugged. "I umm, inherited some money."

"I see." She realized he wasn't going to open up anymore about that. "So tell me about Japan. I've never been, but I have a, umm, friend from there." As she said it, Claire's mind instantly drifted to Hiro. In the midst of all the aftermath of the night at Kirby Plaza, she had been so concerned with the people around her and those at the hospital, that she hadn't even spared a minute on Hiro. She remembered that he was there. Someone told her that he had stabbed Sylar, but then Sylar had sent him flying and Hiro had disappeared, likely teleporting to another location.

_Why hasn't he checked in? _She wondered as Jaden started reminiscing about Japan. _Even if he did get himself to safety, he would have checked in with us to make sure that we all survived okay. He would have wanted to know how it had ended, and if we had stopped Peter. Where is he? _Her next thoughts concerned her even more. _If he doesn't know that Sylar lived, he'll think that he's safe…but Sylar will probably want revenge on Hiro for stabbing him! _She started panicking. _I wonder if anyone else has talked to him. _

"Claire?"

She realized that she had gotten lost in her thoughts and hadn't heard a word that Jaden had been saying. He seemed to have noticed.

"Is something wrong?" He asked her.

"No…not at all. I'm sorry, I just, umm, remembered something important that I have to do when I get home." She told him.

"You don't have to leave now, do you?"

"No, of course not." She smiled at him. "I wouldn't just walk out on a date!"

"Good thing."

The waiter arrived at that moment and delivered them the food they had ordered. When they were alone again, Jaden picked up the conversation.

"I don't think you've said yet, but where do you attend school?"

Claire hesitated. "I…umm...well…that's a good question."

"You don't know?"

"No, actually." She sighed, realizing that it was time for her to tell him more of the truth that she had been trying to hide for the past few dates. "The truth is, I don't live here in New York."

"You don't?"

"No. I'm from Texas."

"You have mentioned that, but I assumed that you meant you used to live in Texas and now you live here."

"Well, that's true sort of." She wondered how much she should tell him, and then decided that if she expected to have any sort of relationship with him she would have to be mostly honest, concerning her family situation at least. Claire had no intention of ever telling him about her ability. "You see, I'm adopted, and recently I started looking for my biological parents."

"Okay…" He listened to her story with patient interest as he cut into his steak.

"I finally found them. My mom was living in Texas too, but my dad lives here in New York." She explained. "So, I've been staying at his house for a while, sort of to get to know him. My parents, the ones who raised me, are in Texas still. I haven't really thought about what will happen will school starts up in the fall. I don't know if I'll still be here or not."

"I see. That sounds sort of complicated."

"I told you before that I had a complicated family situation." She reminded him.

"True, I just didn't really understand what you meant. Now I do though. I appreciate you telling me Claire. I'm sure it hasn't been an easy adjustment for you. Not many people like talking about personal things like that."

She smiled at him for his intuitive understanding. "It hasn't been easy. In fact it's been really hard at times, but I'm dealing."

"Well, I know I'm a little biased, but I hope you decided to stay here for a while."

"Me too."

_PETER PETRELLI'S APARTMENT_

"Spill."

Claire screamed as she opened the door and Peter jumped out at her. "God Peter!" She slapped his arm. "You scared me!"

"Sorry, but I want details."

"Were you just like waiting at the door for me to get home?" She frowned. "That's weird, and a little creepy."

He rolled his eyes. "I wasn't waiting for you, but I heard the elevator and I wanted to scare you."

"You're mean." She shut the door and removed her jacket. Peter took it from her and hung it on the rack by the door.

"Molly doesn't think so." He told her. "She thinks I'm cool." He grinned.

"You've brainwashed her then." Claire decided.

"Have not, but I do supposedly have that power."

"What?" Claire rounded on him with raised eyebrows.

"Yea, I've just figured it out. I'm not really sure how to use it yet though."

"Okay, explain." Claire crossed her arms and stared at him hard.

"Well, you know that Mohinder and I've been going over all the powers that I've come in contact with and there was this girl, Mohinder's friend, Eden, and she had the power of persuasion, so there's a very good chance that I can use that if I can figure it out."

"That's so not fair." Claire pouted. "You've got like the best power ever."

"Oh yea, it's real fun to blow up over New York and potentially have the power to kill millions of people." He retorted.

"Sorry." She recognized the flash of pain in his eyes as he thought about what almost happened. It was clearly something that would take a while for him to recover from, even though nobody was hurt that night. "So, where are Molly and Mohinder?"

"Molly is in my room. I borrowed one of Monty and Simon's storybooks to keep her amused." Peter explained.

"That was thoughtful of you."

"It has been known to happen on rare occasions." He headed toward the kitchen and Claire followed. "So, tell me about the date?"

"It was good." She answered simply.

"How good?"

"Peter, I'm not having this conversation with you." Claire insisted. "My personal life is absolutely none of your business."

"Yes it is. You are my niece, and since you don't really have a father here at the moment, I am the closest thing you've got."

"That's an interesting view of things." She grinned. "It's not going to work though. I wouldn't tell either of my fathers the details of my dates."

Peter started fishing through the cupboards for something to snack on. "Fine. You don't have to tell me all the details, but you did have a good time, didn't you? You're smiling. That has to be a good sign, right?"

Claire let her smile widen. "Yea, it's a good sign."

"Claire?" Molly joined them in the kitchen with wide eyes. "You're finally back!"

"I'm sorry sweetie, I hadn't meant to stay out so late." She greeted the little girl with a hug.

"Did you have fun with your boyfriend?"

"Oh, Molly, he isn't my boyfriend." Claire corrected her quickly.

"Peter said he was."

Claire glared at her uncle who looked determinedly in the other direction. "I'm sorry, but Peter lied to you. Jaden is just a friend."

"Okay." Molly spied of box of cookies in the cupboard and gazed up at them longingly.

"Would you like some, Molly?" Peter offered, following her gaze to the box. She nodded eagerly and he pulled it down to the counter and started piling a few cookies onto a small plate. "Claire, could you get her some milk?"

Claire obediently retrieved the milk from the fridge as he found a small glass for her. "You would make such a good dad." She commented without thinking much about it.

Peter gave her a strange look and then shook his head with a short laugh. "No, I'd be a terrible dad. I'd probably end up accidentally poisoning my kid or dropping him on his head or something."

"Peter, that's horrid!" Claire poured the milk for Molly and snatched one of the cookies from the box before Peter returned it to the cupboard. She followed him into the bedroom where he carried the plate of cookies and glass of milk for Molly who had decided to return to her coloring pages. "Seriously though, I think you'd be a good dad. You need to get married, or at least get a girlfriend. Why aren't you dating anyone?"

Peter hesitated for a moment and then answered without looking at her. "I don't know Claire. I guess I haven't found the right person yet."

"You can date without intending to marry, you know. It doesn't always have to be the right person." She sighed. "I've had plenty of wrong persons, trust me."

"And what about Jaden?"

"Peter, would you give it up already!" She followed him back out of the room once they had seen that Molly was comfortable.

"What? You can talk about my dating life, but I can't talk about yours."

"Yea, pretty much." She grinned as he scowled at her.

"Whatever, I'm over it." He dropped onto the couch and picked up the television remote and started flipping through the channels.

Claire flopped down on the couch beside him and started unfastening the straps on her stilettos. "So, what are we watching?"

"What? We're not watching anything. You're going to bed. It's past your bedtime."

"You're funny." She took the remote from him and set the TV on a re-run episode of _Bewitched _in black and white.

"Oh, come on." Peter pretended to be annoyed with her choice, but in under a minute she caught him laughing and enjoying the show as much as she was.

The front door opened soon after and Mohinder entered the room, greeting the two on the couch with a puzzled smiled. "Have you had a good evening?"

"Good enough." Peter answered.

"It was great." Claire piped in, smiling at Mohinder. "And I'm so glad you're here! I wanted to ask you about something!" She muted the TV and motioned for Mohinder to sit in the leather chair opposite the sofa.

"Yes?" He sat and waited for her to speak.

"Have you heard from Hiro?"

"What?"

"Hiro! You know…" Claire sat up straighter. "I saw him at Kirby Plaza! After he stabbed Sylar, he disappeared. Sylar sent him flying and he was just gone. I don't know what happened, but is he okay? Has anybody seen him or heard from him?"

"With all that has been going on this week, I hadn't even thought about him." Mohinder admitted. "I'm sure he's fine…"

Peter shook his head. "It doesn't make sense. Hiro should have checked in." He fished his new cell phone from his pocket and dialed a number. Claire leaned closer to hear the conversation.

"Hello? Hiro?"

"Hiro? No, Ando! It's Peter Petrelli from New York." Peter corrected the confused Japanese man on the other line.

"Oh, yes, Peter, how are you?"

"I'm fine…" Peter frowned. "I'm guessing by the way you answered the phone that Hiro isn't with you."

"No. I haven't seen or heard from Hiro since the night he left me in Japan so he could go and kill Sylar."

"Really? He hasn't called or anything?"

"No." Ando sounded worry.

"I'm sure he's fine, Ando." Peter tried to comfort him. "I'll keep in touch and let me know if you hear from him, okay?"

"I will."

"Bye." Peter hung up the phone and looked around at Mohinder and Claire. "Hiro's missing."


	17. Varying Challenges

_A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews! I'm glad you're all enjoying the interactions between Peter & Claire. They're my favorites, so I do tend to focus on them, but here is an update that doesn't have them in it. Don't worry, they will be back next time! _

_HIRO NAKAMURA & TAKEZO KENSEI_

"Again!"

Hiro sucked in his breath and prepared to lash out with his wooden practice sword once again. He did so, but once again Takezo expertly blocked his attack, swiftly swinging around and landing a blow on Hiro's side with his own practice sword.

"I'm not getting any better." Hiro complained, taking a break to catch his breath.

Takezo shook his head. "You need more practice, that is all. I have been training since I was five. You have only been training for one week."

Hero was bent nearly double, panting heavily with his practice sword hanging limply at his side. He didn't understand why this training he had been doing with Takezo was so difficult for him. He could freeze time and time travel, but he couldn't succeed with a bit of sword fighting. He remembered the brief lesson he had received from his father, at the end of which Hiro had felt victorious, like a true samurai. He couldn't believe how wrong he had been! His father had done nothing more than to equip Hiro with the basics of defense so he could stand a slight chance against Sylar. Or perhaps, he had only trained Hiro enough to equip him with the necessary courage. Now though, after a week of working hours daily with Takezo, Hiro had realized how much was required to fully succeed as a skilled samurai warrior. A part of him feared that he would never reach that stage of skill.

"Hiro, pay attention!"

"Sorry." Hiro mumbled, quickly pulling himself together as Takezo prepared to issue another attack at Hiro.

"Always be ready!" Takezo shouted as he simultaneously swung his sword out. Hiro just barely managed to block it before Takezo was swinging the other direction, swiftly bring the broad edge of the sword down on Hiro's shoulder. "Be aware of all your surroundings, all directions, not just what's in front of you."

Hiro nodded feebly as he ducked another swing from Takezo's sword. "I am trying, sir!"

"Don't try Hiro! Just do." Takezo paused and stared hard at Hiro. "You have the ability to be a great hero for your people. You simply have to believe in yourself and in the power that you have been given. You have a destiny Hiro Nakamura. You have a great purpose in this world."

"You keep telling me that, but I don't understand what it is that I am supposed to do."

"You will understand when it is time for you to."

Hiro was feeling very irritated with Takezo's cryptic messages. "Will you at least tell me when that might be?"

"It isn't for me to do so. I am simply destined to train you into the greatness that you are already capable of and then you must return to your own time and be the hero for your people." Takezo smiled. "You are one of many and you will lead all the others who are gifted like you." He finally placed the training sword aside and ended the session with a slight bow of his head. "You should rest now. I must meet with Kaori, so we will resume tomorrow at the regular time."

Hiro kept his head bowed respectfully until Takezo had left the room and then he collapsed onto the ground, stretching out fully to rest his sore limbs.

_D.L. HAWKINS & NIKI SANDERS_

_HOSPITAL, NEW YORK_

"Hey!"

"Hi, honey, how are you feeling?" Niki approached the side of her husband's hospital bed, giving him her brightest smile.

"Better, now that you're here. As always." He returned her smile and reached up for her hand, which she gave to him readily. "Where's Micah?"

"He's hanging out with Molly for a couple hours, Claire's looking after them." Niki answered. "I wanted a chance to talk to you without him overhearing."

"Oh? Is something wrong?"

Niki pulled a chair over and sat down, trying her best to sound calm and collected for the sake of her husband, even though in truth she was more unnerved then she had been since before Jessica had released her.

"We need to talk about what we're going to do."

"About what?"

"DL, you know what I'm talking about." Niki frowned. "What are we going to do about everything? Are we going to return to Vegas, or are we going to stay here and see if Dr. Suresh can help us with our…problems…"

"Problems?" DL sighed. "I thought you said she was gone."

"She is. Or she has been, but how do we know if she's gone for good?" Niki insisted. "I have never managed to control her, DL. She made a choice to save you and Micah and me, but how do I know if she's really done with me? Jessica could come back at any second and then what do we do?"

"I don't know." His response was quiet. "Trust me, I've thought about it, but I just don't know."

"You've thought about it?"

"Of course I have. Jessica is not safe for any of us, but Micah needs his mother, and I need my wife. We were both miserable when you were locked up, and it isn't fair for you because you've done nothing wrong, Niki!" DL gripped her hand tightly. "You are a good woman, the best, but Jessica seems determined to ruin all of us."

"Maybe…" Niki replied.

"Not 'maybe' Niki. I know you better than anyone. You would never hurt anybody!"

"I might…if I had the right reasons." She stared at her husband with surprising calmness. "If someone wanted to hurt my family, I think I could be very capable of hurting them back."

DL wasn't sure how to respond, but he finally smiled at her. "That's different Niki. You care for nothing as much as your son."

"Or you." She added.

"That's good to know." He raised her hand to his lips and kissed her fingers gently. "Look Niki, whatever happens, we can handle it together, as a family."

She nodded. "I know. About the other things though…"

"I will do whatever you want to do." He told her suddenly. "If you want to return to Vegas and try to get our lives back to normal…or as normal as possible…then we'll leave the second I'm free to get out of here!" He paused. "Or, if you want to stay here and set up a new life, keeping these new people in our lives…then I will start apartment hunting as soon as I'm allowed."

"Thank you!" Niki leaned forward quickly and kissed him.

"I'm thinking that means you want to stay here."

"There's just so much that I need to know about the past few months, and I really believe that Dr. Suresh can help all of us!" She answered. "I do want to talk to Micah though before I commit to anything."

"I'm sure he'll be fine wherever we go. He never enjoyed Vegas very much anyway." DL reminded her.

"I'll talk to him tonight then, and we'll both be here to see you tomorrow."

"Hey, only a couple more days until I'm allowed out of this place." He told her. "I can't wait to sleep in a real bed again, with my beautiful wife next to me."

She kissed him again. "I could stay with you tonight if you want. I'm sure Claire and Peter could keep Micah overnight."

"Sweetie, that's a nice thought, but you wouldn't get any sleep here. You'd be so uncomfortable."

"I don't care. I miss you!"

"I miss you too, but you should be with Micah." He decided. "I'm a big boy."

Niki smiled and rested her head on the bed beside his arm. "I'm so sorry for everything DL."

"Hey…" DL heard her sniffling and moved his hand to run through her long hair. "What are you apologizing for?"

"Everything is my fault." She was crying fully now and DL had a difficult time hearing her through the tears.

"What's your fault?"

"Everything!" She repeated. "Your arrest, and Linderman…"

"No. Niki, stop." He used all his energy to sit up straighter and to force her to look him in the face. "You are not responsible for anything that has happened. You did not steal that money or kill those people. Jessica did that. You have only ever wanted to take care of your family and you have done incredibly well, despite Jessica's attempts to ruin it all."

"But…"

"No." He cut her off firmly. "I don't ever want to hear you blaming yourself again, do you understand me?"

She nodded and her tears slowly stopped.

"Good, now why don't you get on back to Micah and let me get some rest."

"Are you okay?" She panicked instantly.

"Of course, I'm just a little tired." He assured her. "There's no need for you to worry." He gave her a smile and a quick pat on the hand as she stood up. "I love you."

"I love you too." She gave him one last kiss before leaving.


	18. Unanswered Questions

_SYLAR_

_LONDON_

"Mr. Grey, it is good to see you up and about."

"Thank you, but I prefer Sylar." Sylar rubbed a hand over his neatly shaved head. His dark eyes shifted around the room hesitantly. The room was unfamiliar to him even though he had technically been living there for over two weeks. Those two weeks, however, he had spent in a medically induced coma, during which his mind had been filled with dreams and terrors that he had never known were possible for his imagination.

"Sasha tells me you have recovered exceptionally well, considering."

"Yes, clearly." Sylar's hand unconsciously touched his stomach, feeling the ripple of stitches beneath his shirt that marked where the irritating Japanese guy had stabbed him. He felt his anger rising at the memory.

"I sense that you're uncomfortable."

Sylar's eye twitched. "Not uncomfortable, no. Confused, and perhaps a little curious."

"Oh?"

He folded his arms and stared down at the man who was sitting in a chair. "Yea, curious about what the hell I'm doing here and who you are."

"My apologies, Mr. Sylar, I thought Sasha had filled you in."

"Sasha?" Sylar shook his head. "Never heard of her."

The man frowned slightly, but then his calm expression returned and he explained. "Forgive me, I shouldn't have assumed. You are here because I had you brought here. Tell me Mr. Sylar, do you remember what happened that night in Kirby Plaza?"

"Which part?"

"Any of it…all of it. Do you remember what happened to you?"

"Of course. I was stabbed." Sylar thought about it for a minute. "I thought I was dead."

"You were, in a manner of speaking, but it has been my experience that things are not always as black and white as they may seem."

Sylar nodded slowly. "Umm, so, who exactly are you?"

"My name is Mr. Oakland. You may call me Mr. Oakland." He told Sylar plainly.

"Right, Mr. Oakland then, do you want to explain to me why I am not dead?"

Mr. Oakland smiled and opened a door that Sylar hadn't even noticed until that moment. In walked a young woman, who was smiling at Sylar broadly. She tucked her short dark hair behind one ear. "It's good to see you up and around Gabriel."

Sylar's eyes narrowed. "Nobody calls me that."

She blushed slightly. "Sorry, but while you were sleeping I didn't have anyone to correct me. Gabriel is just such a nice name…"

"Don't use it." He growled.

"Fine!" She held up her hands in surrender. "Whatever you say Mr. Sylar."

Sylar's eyes darted back to Mr. Oakland for an explanation.

"Mr. Sylar, this is Sasha." Mr. Oakland introduced. "You have her to thank for your life."

Sylar looked her over curiously. "What do you mean?"

"She has a gift, just like you, though I suppose not exactly like you considering how you have obtained so many…" Mr. Oakland gave him a slightly approving smile. "Don't get any ideas though, Sasha is not going to be an addition to your collection."

Sasha laughed a little, but then seemed to grasp the meaning of Mr. Oakland's comment and she instantly became less joyful.

"So, what's your…talent?" Sylar asked her with a slight purr to his voice.

She glanced at Mr. Oakland who nodded and then answered. "I manipulate people's vitals."

Sylar's eyes widened; he was clearly intrigued. "That is quite the talent."

"That's how I was able to keep you alive for the past two weeks while you were in a…coma."

"Coma? Is that right?" Sylar frowned. "I have distinct memories…"

"Memories?" Mr. Oakland inquired.

"I was having dreams…" He explained. "They didn't feel like dreams though…there were times when I thought I was awake…"

"Well, that's understandable." Sasha smirked.

"Understandable?" Sylar shook his head. "Hardly. Are you going to explain to me what's been going on?"

"Not at the moment, no. Sasha." Mr. Oakland cut her off before she had a chance to finish her explanation to Sylar. "You are excused."

She nodded and obediently vacated the room.

"What was she talking about?" Sylar asked.

"As I said, nothing that you need to know at the moment. Now, why don't you get some rest? You're going to be rather busy starting tomorrow."

"I am?" Sylar questioned. "Why?"

"Oh, we'll discuss that tomorrow." Mr. Oakland smiled and left Sylar alone.

_PETER & CLAIRE, MATT & JANICE_

_HOSPITAL, NEW YORK_

"Stop it." Claire sighed.

"Stop what?" Peter pretended to be confused.

"You're trying to read my mind."

"What? Am not!"

"You are too!" Claire insisted turning to glare at him.

"Claire, you know I would never invade your privacy like that."

"Oh, right." Claire rolled her eyes. "You were trying it last night while we were eating dinner. You were trying it this morning when I was putting on my makeup, and you're trying it again right now."

"It's not true!" He argued.

"I can tell by the look on your face."

"What look is that?"

"You're eyes are serious and your teeth are clenched very tight." Claire poked a finger at his jaw for emphasis.

His lips turned up in a slight smile and his eyes relaxed. "I'm sorry."

"I knew it!" She shook her head. "You promised you wouldn't use your powers on me unless it was an emergency."

"I have to practice on somebody and Mohinder's never around!"

"Then use Molly!"

Peter shook his head. "She's just a kid."

"Exactly. Her thoughts aren't as private as mine are."

"Oh! I get it. You don't want me to read your thoughts because you don't want me to know what you're thinking." He was grinning now. "What're you trying to hide from me Claire?"

"None of your business!" She started walking faster, wondering how much space she would have to put between them in order for Peter not to be able to hear her thoughts.

"Now, are you walking that fast to get away from me or to get to Jaden?" Peter easily caught up to her.

"Oh my god! You so are in my thoughts!" Claire punched him in the arm.

He started laughing. "I didn't read that Claire. I didn't have to. I know that you haven't been coming to the hospital every day just to check up on Matt."

She blushed, but couldn't deny what he said. "I don't even know if he's here today…"

"Yea, but you're hoping." Peter reminded her.

"Maybe a little." She started walking faster and didn't slow down until they had reached the door for Matt's room. "Hello!" She entered the room with a beaming smile, which froze when she realized he wasn't alone.

The woman, who turned at the sound of Claire's voice, had her dark hair pulled back into a braid and a loose dress hanging over her pregnant stomach. She smiled warmly. "Hello there."

Claire took a minute to process the stranger, but with one glance at Matt's grin she understood. "You're Janice!"

"I am." Matt's wife confirmed. "And you are…"

"This is Claire, honey." Matt introduced. "I told you about her, remember."

"Right, the girl from Texas." Janice smiled. "It's good to meet you and it's really nice of you to visit Matt."

"It's good to meet you too." Claire returned the smile. "Matt talks about you nonstop. I'm so glad you were finally able to get here."

"Yea, it took me a little longer than I would have liked. I had an ultra sound I couldn't reschedule." She explained.

"You're here now, and that's all that matters." Matt took her hand before looking back at Claire. "I thought Peter was going to be coming with you today."

"What?" Claire glanced over her shoulder, noticing for the first time that Peter wasn't behind her. "He was…" She frowned. "I don't know what happened to him. He was right behind me."

"Umm, Claire…"

Claire's eyes brightened when Jaden appeared in the doorway behind her. "Hi!"

"Hey, umm, Claire, can you please ask your uncle to stop following me?"

Claire frowned. "What do you mean?"

"He's been following me around!" Jaden told her.

Peter popped into the doorway with his usual straight-faced countenance. "Sorry I'm late." Jaden stepped further into the room, automatically moving away from Peter. "Dr. Hill, it's good to see you again."

When Jaden didn't respond, Claire knew that he was uncomfortable with Peter. She glared at her uncle and gripped his arm tightly. "Excuse us for a minute, please." She shoved him back into the hallway. "We need to talk."

"About what?"

"Don't even try to play innocent." She glared. "Jaden says you were following him. You were reading his thoughts, weren't you?"

"Come on Claire, what interest would I have in his thoughts?"

"I don't know Peter." She rolled her eyes. "I never know what's going on in your head, which is why it isn't fair for you to be in ours."

He shrugged. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to make sure that he was good enough for you."

She was at a loss for words. "You were reading his thoughts because of me?"

He shoved his hands in his pockets. "Claire, I don't know if you've noticed or not, but you don't exactly have a lot of people looking after you right now. I'm just trying to make up for some of that lack."

She smiled, instantly forgetting that she was upset with him. "I appreciate your concern Peter."

"Really?"

"Really." Claire confirmed. "Thanks for caring." She hesitated briefly and then gave into her curiosity. "So, what did you read in Jaden's mind?"

"Like I would tell you." He smirked. "You don't get to lecture me for using my power and then hope to benefit from it."

"Fine." Claire sighed and returned to the hospital room, glad to see that Jaden was waiting for her. "Sorry about that."

He smiled at her. "Not a problem. I was hoping you would stop by today."

"Oh? You know you could have called if you wanted to see me."

"I know. I've been busy with work though…I did want to see you though. In fact, I'm off tonight and I was wondering if we could do dinner."

"Sounds perfect." Claire decided. "Why don't you pick me up at seven?"

"Are you still staying with your uncle?"

"Yea, I am." She glanced at Peter who was watching their interaction intensely. "Don't worry, I'll meet you out front so you won't have to come in."

"It's okay Claire, I can handle your uncle. He's just a little creepy."

"He's better once you get to know him."

"I'll just take your word for that." Jaden touched her arm gently. "I've got to go, but I'll see you tonight, okay?"

She nodded. "Bye."

Raising his voice so the rest of the room could hear, Jaden nodded to Matt. "I'll come by to check on you later, but I feel that it's safe to tell you that you can count on checking out by the end of the week."

Matt let out a breath and squeezed his wife's hand. "That's good news."

"Yes it is." Janice kissed him quickly.

"Have a good day." Jaden acknowledged the whole group before exiting the room.

"So, another date with the doctor?" Matt attacked Claire the instant Jaden had left.

"Yes, another date." Claire smiled.

"Claire!" Peter exclaimed suddenly.

"What?" Her head snapped to him and she felt her cheeks flushing instinctively.

His eyes were wide and he was staring at her hard. "Nothing…" He glanced at Janice cautiously and Claire caught on.

"Oh my god! You heard that!" She felt her cheeks burning, knowing that her thoughts hadn't been exactly innocent at that moment. She had let herself start to think about how much she wanted to kiss Jaden, but if she had known that Peter was going to read her thoughts she would have been much more careful to filter them.

Matt was laughing slightly, but Janice looked confused. "Claire, it'll get easier for you to live with him, I think…" He looked at his wife. "She's gotten used to it."

"Gotten used to what?" Janice asked.

"Me hearing your thoughts." He glanced at Peter. "He can do it too."

"Really?" Janice looked at Peter who nodded slowly. "So now I have to worry about both of you?" She shook her head. "Claire, would you like to join me for a snack? We can let the boys have some time alone to read each other's thoughts. Plus I'm craving a blueberry muffin."

Claire smiled and nodded. "That sounds good. I'd like to talk to you anyway. I don't really know many normal people who know about us. It'd be fun to hear your perspective."


	19. Change of Plans

_A/N: So, a little change here, I added this scene with Nathan & Heidi, because for some reason it had never been posted, though I had meant it to be put up right after the Niki/DL scene weeks ago. I'm sorry about that! _

_NATHAN & HEIDI PETRELLI_

_NEW YORK_

"I want to meet her."

"You do?" Nathan smiled with relief. "That's good, she really wants to meet you too!"

"I'm not talking about Claire, Nathan. I want to meet her mother. What did you say her name was? Melissa or Megan?" Heidi interrupted.

Nathan's smile vanished. "Meredith?"

"Yes, Meredith." Heidi confirmed. "I want to meet her."

"I…I don't know if that will be possible." Nathan hesitated. "I don't even know where she is. You have to understand that before all this came up, I hadn't seen her in years!"

"But you had kept in touch with her obviously, or she wouldn't have known how to contact you now."

"We have talked once or twice through the years, but we weren't exactly in touch, as you say." He felt his neck heating up as he tried to explain the details of his past relationship with his wife.

"You should have told me."

"I know."

"I mean, really, Nathan, what did you think I would do? Leave you?" Heidi frowned. "I love you, and I always have. I've never hidden anything in my past from you, so why couldn't you ever trust me with yours?"

"I…I don't know." Nathan faltered. "I suppose I just didn't like talking about it."

"I'm your wife!" She reminded him sharply.

"I know." He could think of nothing better to say. He couldn't deny that she had a good point. He should have told her about his relationship with Meredith years ago, perhaps before he had even married her. It wasn't that he had intended to hide it from her, but the memory of everything that he had lost had haunted him for so long; it wasn't easy to discuss. It wasn't that he had ever regretted marrying Heidi rather than Meredith, but it was the daughter he had never been able to know that wounded him. Discovering Claire again after so many years delighted him more than he thought he would ever be able to express to anyone.

"Nathan, tell me the truth." Heidi pulled him out of his thoughts. "Do you still love her?"

"No!" He answered without any pause. It wasn't an answer he had to think about. When he went to see Meredith a couple weeks ago, he had wondered if any of his old feelings for her would be remembered, but all he could think about was his daughter. A large part of him had never forgiven Meredith for taking Claire away from him. "Heidi, you are the only woman that I could ever love. You have to know that." His mind flashed guiltily to his rash night in Vegas with Niki, but he shoved it aside, knowing he couldn't deal with that right now.

"I just feel like there's this whole part of you that I don't know anymore."

"I know I've disappointed you…"

"It's not about the disappointment that I feel, Nathan." She corrected him. "You have been lying to me for years! How do I know that you aren't hiding something else from me?"

"I'm not." He lied again. "Heidi, I could never have anticipated any of this to happen. I thought my daughter was dead. I never expected to see her or her mother again. I never thought it was necessary to tell you about something that was no longer a part of my life. You are my life now, and Simon and Monty…but now I have Claire as well…"

"And Meredith."

"No, not Meredith. She has no part in my life. She doesn't even have a part in Claire's life."

Heidi sighed, finally seeming to calm down a little and process things more rationally. "I suppose that on some level I do understand why you never told me."

"Really?" He let out a breath.

"It must have been hard for you to believe that you had lost your child."

"It was. I know that I never knew her, but she was mine."

Heidi nodded. "I understand. And for your sake, I am happy that she is alive and that she has found you."

"Do you mean that?" Nathan felt as though she had just given him the greatest gift on earth.

She nodded to confirm her earlier statement. "I can see that she means a lot to you, and I can't be angry with you for that. She was in your life first, after all." Heidi even smiled a little, but the next moment her face was serious again. "I can't promise that I'll ever be able to care for her as you do, but I will do my best to be polite."

"So, you will meet her, then?"

"Of course." Heidi told him. "I expect that you are going to want her in your life, and therefore she will have to be in mine as well. I'd rather she were here with both of us, then to have you running off to be with her all the time." She paused. "Besides, Monty and Simon should know their sister."

"You are the best wife in the whole world." Nathan swooped across the room to the couch where his wife was perched and wrapped his arms around her tightly. "Thank you." He kissed her quickly and then pulled away and knew his eyes had tears in them. "You don't know how glad I am."

She returned his kiss. "I do, sweetheart. I can see it in your face. What kind of wife would I be if I tried to ruin this for you?"

"When should I have her come over?"

"Is she in the city now?"

Nathan nodded. "She's staying with Peter."

"Oh? He's met her?"

Nathan smiled. "That's a long story as well, but she actually met him before she even knew about me. They strangely get along very well."

Heidi shrugged. "Why don't you invite them both for dinner tonight?"

"That's perfect." He thanked her again once more before heading to his office to make the call.

_A/N: Sorry it's taken so long! School's really taken over this semester. Everyone told me jr. year was hard in college, but wow, I didn't expect it to be this hard! I'm trying to write as often as possible, but it's difficult. Anyway, thanks for all the reviews! I hope you all stick with me. This chapter is kind of just silliness, but I'm going to have more action soon, probably in the next chapter. I have more stuff coming up with Sylar and his mysterious new 'employer'…so please review! _

_PETER, CLAIRE, & MOLLY_

_NEW YORK_

"Okay, what do you think of this one?" Claire spun away from the mirror to face Molly who was staring at her with childish excitement etched on every feature of her shining face.

"You look really pretty Claire." Molly flattered sincerely.

"Thanks." Claire returned the younger girl's smile. "Do you like this outfit the best then?"

Molly's nose scrunched up as she contemplated the knee-length red halter dress that Claire was trying on. Her round eyes drifted to the mass of clothes scattered around the room, which Claire had already tried on and discarded.

"Yea, I think so. It's really pretty." She decided finally.

"Thanks." Claire turned back to the mirror and frowned. "Maybe I should get a guy's opinion…" She opened the door of Peter's bedroom, which he had loaned her and Molly for the time being. "Peter?"

Molly followed Claire into the living room in search of Peter, who they found on the phone in the kitchen. Claire waited impatiently for him to finish his conversation, but couldn't help noticing the change in his expression as he looked at her. When he finally hung up the phone he was starting at her.

"Wow."

"Yea?" She smiled. "Really? 'Wow's' good."

He cleared his throat and looked away from her quickly. "You look nice Claire."

"You don't sound too happy…" Claire analyzed his expression. "Is there something wrong with my outfit?" She glanced down at her dress, instantly self-conscious, and started adjusting the neckline.

He cleared his throat again and shook his head. "No, nothing's wrong with your outfit. I mean…I think it might be a little too…umm…mature…"

"Too mature?" Claire grinned. "Peter, the guy I'm dating is four years older than me. Looking more mature is kind of the point." His eyes fixed on her again, but this time she saw something else in the expression. "What's wrong now?"

"I just got off the phone with Nathan."

"Did something happen? Is he okay?" It only took a moment for her to forget about the plans she had that night.

"He's fine Claire, don't worry." Peter's lip twitched upward as he recognized the care that Claire had for Nathan. "He told Heidi about you."

"He did?" Her eyes shone with excitement.

"Yep, and she wants to meet you."

"Seriously?" Claire felt happier than she had in weeks. "I…I didn't think she would."

"How could she not?" Peter asked. "You're the daughter of her husband. That automatically makes you a part of her life too."

"Not everyone would feel that way about it." Claire decided.

"Well, Heidi's a good person."

"When does she want to see me?"

"Tonight actually." Peter answered more slowly. "She asked Nathan to invite us both for dinner."

"Tonight?" Claire's excitement dwindled instantly as her date plans resurfaced in her mind.

"I know you had plans, but…" Peter quickly thought of how to talk her out of going on her date with Jaden. "Nathan sounded really hopeful. I think he'd be really disappointed if you didn't come tonight."

Claire considered it for a minute. "I was really looking forward to my date…but I also really want to meet Heidi."

"It's your choice Claire. You have to choose your priorities." Peter turned away from her, ending the conversation.

Claire didn't have to make a choice. "What time do they want us there?"

"So you're coming then?" Peter turned to her again, this time smiling.

"Yes. I just need to call Jaden and change into something…less mature."

Peter smiled at her choice of words. "Good idea. I'm going to change too. We should leave in about fifteen minutes."

Claire nodded, but stopped as she turned to leave the kitchen. "Peter, what are we doing with Molly?"

Peter glanced at the younger girl as though noticing her for the first time. "Umm…good question."

"I don't want to be alone." She spoke up quickly. Her big brown eyes filled with tears.

"Oh, sweetie, don't worry. We're not going to leave you alone." Claire placed her arm around the girl's shoulders. "I guess you could come with…" She looked at Peter who didn't seem to pleased with the idea.

"Where's Mohinder?" Peter asked.

"I don't know. I think he was going to talk with Matt or something…"

"That's right…Matt said he had something important to talk to him about."

"We can call Niki." Claire decided suddenly. "She'll take Molly for a couple hours while we have dinner and then we'll pick her up on the way home."

Peter nodded and looked at Molly for confirmation. "Would that be okay with you?"

"Yea, absolutely!" She smiled.

"Okay, why don't you pack a few things and be ready to leave soon." Claire walked with the girl back into the bedroom they were sharing.

"Ten minutes!" Peter called after them.

"We know!" Claire shouted back. She shut the door of the bedroom and located her cell phone to call Jaden. For some reason she didn't want Peter to hear her conversation.

"How long will I be there?" Molly asked as she stuffed a sweatshirt into her backpack.

"Only a couple hours sweetie. We're just doing dinner." Claire told her. "We would bring you with, but it's going to be a lot of grown-up talk. You'd be bored!"

"It's okay, I like seeing Micah." Molly assured her.

"Good!" Claire dialed Jaden's number. "I'm going to make a quick phone call, okay?"

Molly nodded and started adding her coloring pages to her bag, letting Claire have her privacy on the other side of the room.

"_Hello?" _

"Jaden, hey, it's Claire."

"_Hi Claire, why are you calling me now? I'm supposed to pick you up in an hour!" _

"Yea, that's why I'm calling." Claire didn't know how to explain the situation to him. "It's kind of complicated, and I can't get into the details right now, but I'm not going to be able to make it tonight."

"_I knew it. You're having second thoughts about me…" _

"That's not what this is at all Jaden. I'm not having second thoughts; something's just come up. I'm really sorry and I promise to make it up to you, if you'll let me."

"_Are you sure tonight won't work? We can push it back a little…" _

"Thanks, but tonight really isn't going to work. If you are still interested though, we can reschedule." She crossed her fingers, hoping that he would agree.

"_Absolutely! You name the day and I'll make it happen." _

Claire smiled dreamily, deciding that Jaden was about as perfect as she could wish for. "How about I get back to you?"

"_I'll be waiting. Have a good night Claire." _

"Thanks. You too!" She clicked off the phone and held it tightly for a minute to process the conversation. It had left her smiling and her cheeks were flushed.

"Are you okay Claire?"

It took Claire a minute to realize that Molly was speaking. "What? Oh yea, I'm fine! Great actually!" She finally released the phone and began to remove the dress that was no longer appropriate for her evening plans.

"You look funny." Molly observed.

"Really?" Claire glanced in the mirror and realized that she was still grinning. "I'm just happy, Molly. Nothing weird, I promise."

"Okay." Molly shrugged, clearly uninterested in analyzing the older girl. "I'm going to wait with Peter."

"Tell him I'll be ready in three minutes!" Claire dropped the dress on the bed and started pulling clothes from her duffel bag, which she still hadn't unpacked, even though Peter had been constantly nagging her about it.

It took her more time to choose an outfit for dinner with her father than it had taken to pick her dress for the date with Jaden. She had tried everything from jeans to mini skirts to business style dress pants. Nothing felt right for the night.

"Claire?" Peter pushed the door open when she didn't respond. "Claire? Are you ready yet?" He stopped suddenly, turning around quickly when he realized she wasn't fully dressed.

"Oh, Peter!" Claire jumped when she finally realized he was there.

"I'm sorry, I knocked, but…"

"It's fine. Sorry I didn't hear you." She pulled a tank top on over her bra. "I'm covered."

He turned around, more slowly, still uncomfortable. "I am sorry."

"Really Peter, it's no big deal." She smiled at him reassuringly.

He tried to return the smile, but was blushing. "So, umm, why aren't you dressed yet?"

"I can't figure out what to wear." She confessed. "Nothing's good enough."

"Claire, you have half a dozen outfits here!" He started picking up some of the discarded articles from around the room.

"I just want to look perfect…"

"I know you do." He had finally started to calm down from the earlier embarrassment and he was now eager to help. "You're going to look beautiful no matter what you wear."

Claire smiled at him in surprise. "Thanks."

He blushed again and returned his focus to the outfit crises. "How about this skirt," he held up a black knee-length pencil skirt. "And this shirt." He handed her a light blue silk tank top. "Nathan likes blue."

Claire took the clothes he had picked out. "This actually might work." She grinned. "How did you do that?"

He shrugged. "Blame the world I grew up in. Anyway, we're already running late. Hurry up and dress, okay?" He left the room so she could change.


	20. Assignment and Destiny

MR. OAKLAND, ANGELA PETRELLI, & SYLAR

LONDON

"How has he been adjusting to his new job?"

"Quite well actually." Mr. Oakland smiled. "Mr. Sylar will actually be back this evening from his most recent assignment. I'm sure he would be delighted to meet you, as you are a very significant part of this team."

"Yes, I would like to meet him. In fact, if I might have the honor, there is a little situation that I would like to assign him to fix for me."

"Really?" Mr. Oakland nodded. "I'm pleased to hear it. It's about time you take a more active part of our organization, Angela." They were interrupted by a knock on the door. "Come in."

The door opened and Sylar stepped into the room. "I was told to see you when I arrived."

"Yes, excellent!" Mr. Oakland greeted Sylar with a handshake and then motioned to Angela. "I wanted you to meet one of your other employers."

Sylar frowned. "I recognize you."

"Oh?" She pursed her lips and stared him straight in the eye.

"You're the politician's mother. Petrelli."

"Very good." Mr. Oakland nodded. "I assume you didn't realize that she was on our side though, did you?"

"Our side?" Sylar grunted. "I'm not on anybody's side. I'm just doing a job."

"Speaking of which, how did your assignment go?"

"Fine." Sylar replied simply.

"I hear you've just returned from France. I hope you were able to take in the sights while you were there. It's my favorite place to visit." Angela gushed. "I was just there myself the past week, but unfortunately work has pulled me away…"

"I wasn't there to visit tourist traps." Sylar cut her off. "I was on assignment."

"Right, of course." Angela tipped her head curiously. "So tell me, what was this assignment you so successfully completed?"

Sylar glanced to Mr. Oakland for permission to elucidate. He nodded and Sylar continued. "I was in France for four days. The first two days I spent tailing a man, waiting to see if he would exhibit any special abilities. On the third day I grew tired of waiting and decided to force him to show me what he could do."

"Meaning?"

"I used my abilities on him." Sylar explained.

"And what did you discover?" Angela inquired.

"He is nothing more than an ordinary man living an ordinary and pointless life in this pathetic world." Sylar's dark eyes settled on Mr. Oakland. "Is there anything else you wanted to know?"

"How can you be certain that this man had no abilities?" Angela persisted.

"I could see how his brain worked. It was normal."

"That's good enough for me." Mr. Oakland decided. "Thank you for your time, and I believe you have another assignment to begin."

Sylar nodded. "My flight leaves for Germany in one hour." He left the room without another word.

"Another assignment already?" Angela questioned Mr. Oakland once they were alone again. "You sure are keeping him busy, aren't you?"

"We think it's best for the time being. Plus he is a very handy employee. We like using him whenever possible." Mr. Oakland told her. "This particular assignment will require him to use his more…shall we say useful abilities."

"Ah, who may I ask are we eliminating today?"

"No one of consequence. A woman who has powers she is not aware of yet."

"And what harm is she to us?"

"She is an art dealer who has worked with Mendez's paintings. At this point I don't think she knows anything, but we figure it's best to stop her before she has a chance to learn what she's capable of."

"Of course. And will Mr. Sylar be taking her ability after he has killed her?"

"If he wishes."

HIRO NAKAMURA AND TAKEZO KENSEI

"Is it time for my training?" Hiro questioned Takezo as he entered the room they had planned to meet in for Hiro's daily lessons.

Something was wrong though. Hiro noticed that Takezo's usual cheeriness seemed limited. His eyes lacked their usual energy and his forehead was creased with wrinkles.

"Takezo?" Hiro waited for the warrior to speak, but he offered no explanation. Hiro tried practicing patience, but his curiosity got the better of him. "What's wrong?"

"Probably nothing." Takezo answered after a moment. "It's just Kaori…she hasn't checked in with me in a while."

"How long has it been?" Hiro asked.

"Three days."

Hiro frowned. He had seen the princess coming to Takezo every evening for the past two weeks. She hadn't missed a single day. For her to stop coming now didn't seem right. He didn't want to encourage Takezo's fears, but he couldn't help feeling a little anxious himself.

"Is there any way for you to contact her without raising suspicion?"

Takezo shook his head. "If she is with her brother, she will be too protected for me to get to her. I just have to wait and hope that she comes to me." He tried to focus on Hiro, but his eyes showed that his thoughts were still with Kaori. "Let's get to work."

"Are you sure you want to today? We could just…talk." Hiro offered lamely.

"Talk?" Takezo repeated.

Hiro nodded. He didn't know what else to say. He always felt miniscule in comparison to the great warrior he had the privilege of training with, but now he saw a different side of Takezo. He wasn't just an almighty warrior, but a man, with emotions that Hiro understood and sympathized with. Hiro thought of Charlie and he realized that he knew exactly how Takezo was feeling—scared, sad, and helpless.

"Yes…talking could be good." Takezo decided after a brief pause for consideration. "We can talk of where you come from and what has brought you here."

Hiro grinned. After two solid weeks of training in weaponry and the self-sacrifice that samurais required, they had yet to discuss Hiro's presence there in depth. Takezo knew that he had come from the future, and he claimed that Hiro had a purpose, but beyond that nothing had been said. Hiro was anxious to share his experiences with one who could surely understand what it is like to try and live up to a destiny; he was also eager to hear more of the future that Takezo seemed to believe existed for Hiro.

The two men exited the training room and walked silently towards the vast fields surrounding Takezo's hideout. When Takezo finally broke the silence, they stopped walking and each sat cross-legged in the long grass, facing each other.

"Tell me about the bad man that you fought." Takezo ordered.

"Sylar." Hiro spoke the name slowly; still fearful of the man he had stabbed. "He was a very bad man. He killed many good people."

"But you stopped him. You saved many more people!" Takezo reminded him, wanting to keep Hiro's confidence high. He knew that he would need it in the time to come. "Tell me how it felt to kill him."

"What?" Hiro hadn't expected a question like that. When he stabbed Sylar it had been strictly for defense. Sylar was a bad man who needed to be stopped. It wasn't something Hiro particularly enjoyed doing.

"I want to know the emotions you felt." Takezo expanded. "Trust me. This is important for you to reflect on. Sylar was the first person you have ever killed. Unfortunately, I do not believe he will be the last."

Hiro's eyes widened and he felt suddenly lightheaded. "I don't want to kill anyone else."

Takezo squinted directly at the sun. "Why are you training to be a samurai if you never intend to use the skills that you are acquiring?"

Hiro had no answer. All the training he had been doing with Takezo just seemed like the right thing to do. He hadn't actually considered what he would from there. He couldn't think of using a sword back in his own time.

"Hiro, I understand that you are scared." Takezo focused his eyes on Hiro unblinkingly. "It is difficult for you to realize the potential that you have, but you have to find the courage to be the person that your world needs you to be."

"You don't understand." Hiro exclaimed suddenly. "I am not a warrior like you."

"Not yet." Takezo smiled softly. "You are special though. You have an extraordinary gift, which you have already used to help people many times." He plucked a piece of grass from the ground and rubbed it between his finger and thumb. "All you need is the courage and strength to become what you are meant to be."

"I don't understand what you mean." Hiro complained. "You keep saying that I have all this potential, but what does it mean? What am I meant to do?"

"I've told you that when the time is right you will learn more." Takezo reminded him. "Just know that the dark times you were facing before are not over. Soon you will return back to your own time and continue with your mission."

"How? I can't control my powers. I hadn't meant to come here."

"You came here because you were meant to. Our paths were always meant to cross." Takezo said. "You will learn to control your powers and you will return to the future where you belong."

Hiro sighed. "When will that be?"

"That's up to you." Takezo's attention was drawn to one of his soldiers sprinting across the field towards them. "What is it?" He stood instantly and Hiro followed suit.

"Sir!" The soldier bowed his head to greet Takezo formally. "It's the Princess! She's been discovered!"

_A/N: Gosh, I really don't like writing ancient Japan Hiro! I'm determined to bring him back to the present soon. Anyway, thanks for all the reviews! I'm so encouraged by the positive responses that I've been getting to this story! _

_One question…how much detail should I put into the next scene with Claire/Peter/Nathan/Heidi? Should I do the full dinner with detailed conversation, or just introduce it and then cut to the after scenes where they're all reflecting? Peter and Claire are my favorite storylines to follow so I love focusing on them, but I'm not sure how much you all want of that particular aspect. So, let me know what you're thinking!_

_Also, I'm always open to suggestions, requests, etc. Thanks again! _


	21. The Dinner

_A/N: Thanks for the reviews and the suggestions! Here's the dinner scene. It probably could have been better, but I was having a hard time with it. I'm not really sure how to write Heidi since her part wasn't huge in the show. Nathan's strangely tricky for me too, so if there's any advice for them, let me know! Also, all the italics are thoughts and I've told this chapter sort of from Peter's POV so everything that's italicized means that he's reading minds! As always, hope you enjoy and review! XOXO_

PETRELLI RESIDENCE

"I don't know if I can do this." Claire froze as Peter opened the car door for her.

"Of course you can." Peter assured her. "This is what you've been waiting for."

"I know, but I'm terrified."

"Everything is going to be fine!" He held out his hand and she grasped it tightly. "Come on. Nathan hates it when I'm late."

Claire's eyes widened. "Great, you could have told me! I'm already making a bad first impression!"

"I'm pretty sure he won't hold it against you." Peter tugged on her hand and she followed him up to the front door. "Here we go!" He rang the doorbell.

Claire took a deep breath. Peter could feel her hand tightening slightly on his. _Oh god…what if they don't like me? _

He hadn't meant to read her thoughts, but lately he had been practicing so often it had become automatic. "I'm right here." He reminded her in a whisper.

She glanced up at him and he knew that she knew he'd read her thoughts, but before she had a chance to answer, the door opened and Nathan stood there, ready with a grin.

"Claire!"

"Yea, good to see you too Nathan." Peter rolled his eyes at his brother's sole focus on Claire.

Clearly determined to ignore all sarcasm from his brother, Nathan continued to smile at his daughter. "I'm so glad you could make it tonight." Nathan hadn't budged an inch from the doorway and neither had Claire moved from the front step. "I was actually a little concerned that you wouldn't want to…"

Peter gave her a minute to respond, but when he realized she wasn't going to, he replied for her. "She was _thrilled_ to get your invitation. She even cancelled her date."

"Date?" Nathan echoed instantly. "You're dating someone?"

"No." Claire shook her head, while Peter nodded.

"Yes."

"Peter!" Claire nudged him in the ribs and glared at him_. Can you please stay out of my personal life?_

Peter raised his eyebrows at the way she invited him into her thoughts. "Not likely." Peter squeezed her hand, which he was still holding. He knew that the gesture comforted her.

"So are you going to invite them in?" Heidi stepped up behind her husband.

Claire looked to her instantly and their eyes locked.

"Hi." Claire mumbled out an inadequate greeting.

Nathan's attention switched to his wife and he stepped back to give her more space. "Heidi, this is Claire."

"Hello Claire." Heidi, always cordial, gave Claire a welcoming smile and held out her hand.

"It's nice to meet you." Claire freed her hand from Peter's grip and shook Heidi's. "Thank you for inviting me for dinner."

"Of course." Heidi smiled at her husband. "I've heard a lot about you."

Claire glanced at Nathan. _How much did he tell her? _Peter couldn't help sharing Claire's curiosity and followed her gaze to Nathan. When he shook his head slightly they both knew her ability was still a secret from Heidi.

"I hope you're hungry." Heidi motioned the group into the house.

"Starved." Claire responded. "Peter isn't exactly the best cook."

"Oh, like you're so much better!" He protested. "I've never eaten so much macaroni and cheese in my life!"

Claire shrugged. "Molly likes it."

"Molly's nine."

"Okay you two, enough squabbling. You're worse than my kids." Heidi led the way into the dining room where the table was laid out with a full set of crystal.

Claire was momentarily overwhelmed by the elegance. Peter could see the amazement in her eyes and he followed her thoughts as they drifted back to her home in Odessa with the china from Target and the mismatched silverware; the contrast was startling for her, but she was admiring it fully.

"Is anything wrong?" Heidi asked.

"No, not at all. Your table's beautiful."

"Thank you." Heidi beamed at the compliment. "Please have a seat. I'll let Sara know we're ready."

"Who's Sara?" She whispered to Peter as Heidi exited the room and Nathan took the sat at the head of the table.

"Sara's the kitchen maid. I think you met her last week when we were staying here." Peter responded as he pulled out a chair for her. "Sit here."

"Thanks." She took the seat and he circled to the other side of the table to sit on Nathan's left. Claire scanned the table, seeming to take a mental count of the place settings. "Don't you have children? Peter mentioned it…"

Nathan nodded. "We have two boys. They're with friends for the evening. I thought it might be simpler."

Claire nodded. "Right, of course." _I wonder if he's told them about me yet. _

"I want you to meet them though sometime." Nathan told her quickly.

"Maybe next time."

Heidi reentered the dining room, followed by a young woman dressed in a sleek black dress covered by a crisp white apron. Claire had to suppress her urge to laugh at the clichéd maid's uniform. She remembered the girl's face from, but she hadn't seen her in her strict uniform because while Nathan and Heidi were out of town the servants weren't necessarily dressed as required. Sarah, the maid, carried a large tray laden with small salad plates, which she started setting at each place.

Heidi took the end chair. "So, Claire, tell me more about yourself." Heidi started the conversation once everyone had their salads.

Claire's cheeks blushed slightly. "What do you want to know?"

"Anything." Heidi decided. "Nathan told me some things, of course, but I want to hear from you."

Nathan smiled at his wife; clearly delighted with the interest she was showing his daughter. Claire however seemed to struggle with what to say.

"You're from Texas right?" Heidi prodded. "How do you like New York?"

"Oh, I love it!" Claire stated quickly. "I've always wanted to come here, of course this isn't exactly the conditions I had in mind." She noticed Peter smiling at her from across the table. "I do miss Odessa though, especially my family." She quieted for a moment; her thoughts again drifted to her family. She wondered what they were doing and whether they were thinking of her too. Peter felt a little intrusive continually prying into her thoughts, but he had become so comfortable knowing what she was thinking while she had been staying with him; it was a difficult habit to break.

"Do you have a large family? Nathan says he doesn't know too much about it…" Heidi kept up the questions.

Claire shook her head. "I have one brother, Lyle. He's twelve."

Nathan couldn't be quiet any longer. "Now you have two more brothers."

Heidi's smile flickered just slightly, but she didn't say anything. Peter noticed the change in her expression and momentarily took his focus off of Claire's thoughts and put it on Heidi. _I wish he wouldn't jump into this so fast. _Peter pulled out of Heidi's thoughts and turned back to Claire. He had anticipated Heidi to be hesitant, but he knew she was a generous woman and eventually he knew she would warm up to the idea of having Claire in the family.

_She doesn't like me._ Due to her thoughts, Peter realized that Claire had noticed Heidi's reaction, but pretended that she hadn't. Instead she tried to start up a new conversation. "How long have you two been married?"

"Thirteen years this August." Nathan answered automatically. Heidi nodded to confirm.

"How did you meet?" She seemed suddenly determined to keep the questions on them and off of herself.

"A party." Heidi remembered. "He was at a graduation celebration and I was at the same place for a friend's bachelorett party."

Nathan picked up the story. "I spotted her at the bar and knew I had to meet her."

"So you bought her a drink?" Claire asked.

"No," Nathan grinned. "I spilled a drink on her."

"He still claims it was an accident."

"It was!" Nathan insisted.

"You wanted me to notice you."

"Well, it worked didn't it?" Nathan grinned. "I got your phone number and a date the next night."

"That's so sweet." Claire told them.

"Kind of cheesy." Peter spoke up.

"Oh you're just jealous." Claire snapped. "Don't try to spoil their romance just because you don't have any."

"What about you?" Heidi asked. "You're a very pretty girl. I'm sure you have all sorts of boys lining up for you."

Claire blushed. "No, not really."

"There is one though, isn't there?" Heidi pursued. "I can see it in your eyes."

"Sort of, I mean it's nothing serious yet."

"Tell me about it." Nathan requested. "This is the guy you were supposed to have a date with tonight, right? And you've gone out with him before too…I remember once you and Peter were arguing about him on the phone."

Claire nodded. "His name is Jaden."

"Have you been dating long?" Heidi wanted to know.

"She hasn't even been in New York for a month yet!" Peter spoke up.

Claire rolled her eyes. "Peter doesn't approve. I don't know why. Jaden's a great guy. He's a doctor…well an intern."

"That's right, the doctor. He's older than you isn't he?" Nathan commented.

"Look, before you and Peter gang up on me, let me assure you that I am fine with the age difference. He respects me and we get along really well!" Claire defended her dating choice.

Nathan looked ready to argue, but Heidi quickly intervened. "I think that's great that you've found someone who makes you happy Claire. How did you meet him?"

"At the hospital. He's the intern assigned to one of our friends."

"I want to meet him." Nathan announced. Peter was a little surprised at his brother's adamant declaration and dove into his thoughts curiously. _Father's are supposed to be concerned about their daughter's dates, right? I should make sure he's good enough for her or something…maybe I should have my security guys do a background check on him…would that be too much? I don't want her to hate me! Damn, I thought being a father was hard before, but it's even worse with a daughter! _

Peter pulled out of his thoughts, smiling, and just in time to hear Claire's shocked response.

"Nathan!" She gasped. "We've only had a few coffee dates and two dinners. We are nowhere near the stage of meeting parents." She paused. _Parents. Hmm. That sounds weird out loud. Nathan is my parent…my dad. When I get married is he going to walk me down the aisle, or will my dad? My other dad._

Peter realized that he was smiling and quickly focused on his salad so she wouldn't know that he had been reading her again.

The polite chitchat continued through the roast dinner. It wasn't until Sara delivered the crème brulee to each person that Nathan unintentionally brought up the difficult topic that everyone had been carefully avoiding throughout the meal.

"So, have you thought about what you want to do for school in the fall?"

"School?" Claire broke into her dessert and turned her eyes to her father.

"You left Texas before the end of the semester, didn't you?"

She nodded.

"Well, are you still going to be able to start your senior year this fall?" Nathan asked.

"I…I don't know." She glanced at Heidi, who was focusing on her food more than normal.

_Why is he doing this? _Heidi thought. _We agreed before she came over that we wouldn't discuss any long term plans yet. It's too soon. We have no idea what she's doing with her life or what her parents want her to do…this is not turning out like it was supposed to. I shouldn't have agreed to it._

Peter was glad that Claire didn't have the ability to read minds.

_I really wish he hadn't brought it up. I'm not ready to talk about this. _Claire's thoughts were strangely similar to Heidi's and Peter listened anxiously. He had been dying to ask her what she planned to do with her life, but had always been too afraid of the answer. _What am I supposed to say? What about mom and dad? I have to answer. _"I guess it depends on where I'm going to be in the fall."

"Oh…of course…" _Dammit. _Nathan instantly realized his mistake in bringing up the subject. "Well…" He looked to his wife for assistance, but she still wasn't making eye contact. _Might as well get it over with. _"Where do you want to be Claire?"

She took a minute to think about it before responding. _Texas. Here. I miss my mom, but I want to know my real dad…and Peter. _

Peter smiled after this thought.

"I don't know." She answered finally. "If I tell you that I want to stay here in the city, will you still make me go to Paris?"

Nathan shook his head. "As far as I am concerned, my mother is not going to have any association with you at all. At least not until I can figure out where her loyalties lie."

"Then, do you want me to stay in the city?"

_Yes. _He thought. "I want to know you." Nathan said out loud. "I would like to have a chance to be your father, if you'll let me."

Claire smiled. "I want you to be…" She let her eyes drift around the table, first to Peter who was smiling, and then to Heidi; her expression was impossible to read. "I just don't want to create any problems. I know that you both are dealing with a lot right now considering everything…"

Peter again intruded on his sister-in-law's mind. _He needs this. It's important to him and to keep her from him would only cause a problem between us. He's worked so hard for so long to get where he is now and he deserves to have something to make him happy. He's already been happier since he told me about Claire. _Heidi finally looked at Claire and shook her head. "Nathan and I will have things to work out with or without you. Personally, I don't see how you're being a part of our lives could be anything but a positive thing."

"Thank you." Claire's eyes started tearing up and she used her napkin to clear them.

"Then will you stay in New York?" Now it was Peter's turn to ask, though he had already read it in her thoughts, he needed to hear it out loud for it to be real.

"Yes."


	22. Confrontations & Conversations

_A/N: In honor of "Heroes" premiere night I am posting another update and it's a little longer than usually I believe. Also, I am introducing two new characters! And another one is on the way. I'm a little nervous now with the show back up that I might lose some of my readers' interest and I hope that doesn't happen. My story will not be following the real season 2 because I started it (obviously) before I knew what was going to happen, so please do continue to read and enjoy it as my unique story!! Also, as always, review! Thanks. _

MOHINDER SURESH

SEATTLE

"Dr. Suresh, we have given you access to all our research as well as our labs. You have free reign to the hospital!"

"Thank you, Dr. Baxtor." Mohinder shook hands with the chief at the private research hospital he had journeyed to in Seattle. He had been there for less than three hours and had already discovered two patients who had been checked in with symptoms similar to Molly.

"Where would you like to begin?" Dr. Baxtor asked.

"You have one patient whose symptoms are less advanced. I believe I would like to start with him." Mohinder flipped through the patient's file, which he had retrieved earlier. "Adam Monroe."

"Ah yes. He's a relatively new patient. I actually haven't had a chance to observe him yet, but have at it!"

"Thank you." Mohinder's mind started racing with excitement at the freedom he was given with the patients.

"I'll check up with you later." Dr. Baxtor nodded to Mohinder and left him to his business.

The moment he was alone, Mohinder headed towards Adam Monroe's room. He neared the door, his eyes busily scanning the patient's file, but as he prepared to enter the room he heard voices inside and pulled back, listening unintentionally.

"I told you I don't want to talk about it anymore." A man was saying.

"I don't care." A woman spoke now, emphatically, yet emotionally.

"This is the fifth hospital I've been to, Maddie!" The guy spoke again. "If they can't figure out what's wrong with me, then I'm giving up."

"No you're not!"

Mohinder decided that he had listened long enough. He knew exactly what he was listening to; his patient was losing hope. Mohinder wasn't ready to let him give up yet.

"Pardon me for intruding." Mohinder stepped into the room, taking notice of the two people there. "Mr. Adam Monroe, correct?" He addressed the young man lying in one of the two hospital beds in the room; the second bed was vacant.

"Yes." He frowned. "I haven't seen you here before."

"I'm new." Mohinder explained. "I'm a geneticist."

"What's that mean?" The young woman spoke up, attracting Mohinder's attention instantly.

"I…" He wasn't sure how to answer her. He thought his statement was clear. "I am a specialist in gene research."

She tucked a strand of her dark hair behind one ear and fixed her bright blue eyes on Mohinder, demanding further explanation.

"I have come here to research a virus that affects people with a particular genetic trait…one that your brother has." Mohinder tried to explain the details of his purpose without causing any unnecessary fear.

"Research?" Adam spoke up. "So, you're not here to help me then?"

"No, I am!" Mohinder insisted. "If I can. I must be honest; it's been a difficult process. I have, however, had success with one patient who suffered from the same disease."

"You have?" The intensity in the girl's eyes faded. "Do you think you might really be able to cure him?"

Mohinder glanced between the girl and the patient and nodded slowly. "I can't promise anything, but if you allow me to, I would like to try."

The girl's eyes were alive with hope. She looked to Adam, smiling slightly. "Adam, please…"

"I don't know." He cut her off quickly. "I told you that I didn't want to keep this up forever."

"But if…" She paused. "What's your name?"

"Dr. Suresh."

"If Dr. Suresh thinks he might be able to cure you, we have to let him try!"

Adam didn't respond.

"Please Adam!"

Mohinder noticed tears forming in her eyes and felt a little guilty for the problem he was causing between the two of them. "I'm sorry…perhaps I should give the two of you a moment alone."

Adam shook his head. "No, I need some time to think. I'll see you later Maddie."

Her eyes flicked towards him briefly, but she pretended not to let it bother her. "You're right. You should rest. I'll come check on you later tonight, okay?" She moved to kiss his forehead, but he pulled away from her.

Mohinder waited for her to leave the room and then decided to follow her. If there was anyone he would get through to, he was pretty sure it would be her. As expected, he only had to step outside the room door to find her waiting for him, eager to continue the conversation that Adam wasn't ready for.

"Dr. Suresh, I'll talk to him and he'll come around. Please, you have to try and help him!"

"I can't promise you anything though…" Mohinder was feeling a little guilty for getting the girl's hopes up too high.

"I know." She nodded. "You don't understand how much we've been through though. This is the fifth hospital that we've tried. If you can't help him, he won't look for help again." The tears she had been fighting a moment ago now spilled down her cheeks. "I can't lose him! He's all I have."

"I'm sorry…" He had been trying to figure out the relationship between the two and decided to take a guess. "He's your…husband?"

She shook her head quickly. "No! Adam's my brother and he's the only family I have."

"Your brother?" Mohinder repeated. "I'm so sorry." He didn't know why he was apologizing, but it felt like the right gesture.

"Thanks." She wiped away her escaping tears with the back of her hand. "So, you'll help him, right?"

"I will do my absolute best." He assured her. "You have my word."

"Thank you." She smiled. "I'm Madeline, by the way. Madeline Monroe."

NIKI & MICAH

NEW YORK

"How may more?"

"This is the last one baby, I promise." Niki squeezed her son's hand twice to reassure him. She looked down at him and noticed his feet dragging slightly. She stopped on the sidewalk and knelt beside him, fixing her gaze on his. "You have been so good today! I really appreciate how helpful and patient you're being with all this. Tomorrow is your day. You can plan it all, okay?"

Micah's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Really." She promised. "Anything you want."

"Awesome." He smiled as they picked up their pace again, heading to the last apartment Niki had on her list.

"Well, it doesn't look so bad on the outside." Niki commented optimistically as she and Micah started up the short flight of steps outside the type apartment. "I like the brick."

Micah made a small noise that sounded like a mix of a laugh and a grunt, but said nothing.

"What?" Niki picked up instantly on his meaning. "You don't like it?"

"No, it's great." He tried to sound enthusiastic, but it was getting difficult after having to fake admiration for half a dozen different run-down apartments so far that day.

"I know they're not much…" Her voice wavered. She hated not being able to give her son the absolute best, but since she and DL were both without steady incomes, their options were limited. "Once I find a good job, maybe we can look for something better."

"I don't see why I can't just…"

"No." Niki cut him off quickly. "We've been over this, Micah."

"I know, but I still don't understand…"

"Micah!" She rarely snapped at her son, but she was having a hard time with this issue. Glancing around to make sure no one walking past would overhear them, she knelt beside him once again. "We are not going to use our powers unless absolutely necessary."

"Why?"

Niki sighed. She knew it wasn't fair to him. He thought that what they all could do was amazing, like a superhero. She didn't feel the same about it though, not after what Linderman put them all through because of their abilities. How could she make him understand that though?

"Because we're trying to start over here, baby." She lowered her voice. "It's been a hard year for us, but we're all back together now and I want us to live the life that we've always wanted. Don't you want that? Don't you want to be a happy family?"

"Of course I do!" He agreed quickly.

"In order to have a normal, happy life we need to try not to use our abilities. Can you try to understand that?"

He nodded slowly. "I guess."

"Thank you!" She kissed his forehead. "I knew you could. You're such a smart little man!" Micah fixed his eyes on his shoes as his mom stood again and faced the door of their potential apartment. "Now, let's get this over with!"

PETER & CLAIRE

PETER'S APARTMENT

"Sleep well?" Peter glanced up from the kitchen table as Claire wandered in, pulling a sweatshirt on over her head.

"Not really."

"I didn't think so," he pushed out a chair for her. "I heard you walking around in the middle of the night."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

"I wasn't sleeping either."

"Oh? Why not?" Claire reached across the table to steal a sip of his orange juice.

"My mind just had a lot going on."

"I hope you're not referring to mind reading…"

"No, just thinking things through." He assured her. "There's so much to think about after everything that's happened. I know there are some days when we'd rather just pretend like none of it happened and try to carry on a normal life, but we both know that's not possible."

"Wow, you're just a big bundle of joy in the morning, aren't you?" Claire rolled her eyes as he snatched his glass of juice away from her.

"So what kept you up all night?" Peter turned the question around.

"Oh you know, just thinking things through." She stood from the table and started browsing through the cupboards for breakfast.

"Yea?" Peter watched her for a minute before speaking his mind. "You know, I'm surprised you wanted to come back here."

"Really? I kind of thought it was obvious that I was uncomfortable there." She located the box of peanut butter captain crunch she had been searching for and moved on to retrieve a bowl. "Not to mention how uncomfortable they were."

"I don't think they were…"

"Peter, I could tell. They're not ready for me to move in, especially not Heidi. It's going to take a while for us all to get use to everything."

"Nathan does want you in his life Claire, you have to know that." Peter insisted, holding up the milk to let her know that he already had it out of the fridge.

"I know he does." Claire agreed, returning to the table with her breakfast conquests. "It's Heidi I'm mainly worried about. She didn't seem to eager to welcome a daughter."

"Well, you said it yourself. It will take time, but I'm pretty confident that it will work out."

"Yea…until then though is it okay for me to be here?"

"Of course."

"I mean, really, if you want me to leave I can! I've already been intruding a lot longer than I meant to…"

"Claire, seriously, I love having you here. It's not a problem at all!"

"Thanks," Claire switched her attention to the bedroom where she could hear Molly calling out. "I'll go check on her. It's probably another nightmare."

"Want me to come with?"

"No, sometimes she's a little nervous when she wakes up. It's probably best if we don't crowd her." Claire stood and headed toward the bedroom.

"Let me know if you need me."

Claire pushed open the bedroom door and found Molly huddled beneath the duvet cover, trembling uncontrollably.

"Sweetheart, it's okay!" Claire sat on the bed and pulled the covers away from the girl's head. "You're okay…it was just a bad dream." She wrapped her arms around Molly and held her close, continuing to croon. "It's okay."

Molly clung to Claire's neck, sobbing into her shoulder. "I couldn't get out!"

"You couldn't get out of where?" Claire asked as she soothingly stroked her hand through Molly's tangled hair.

"He wouldn't let me go," she continued to cry.

"Sweetie, it's okay…you're okay now." Claire didn't know how to comfort her any better. "There's nobody else here. You're safe."

"It's getting worse." Molly whimpered, barely above a whisper.

"You mean the nightmares?" Claire asked. "About the bad man?"

"They're not nightmares." Molly insisted. "It's him. He creates them! He traps me…and I can't get out…"

Claire hated seeing the girl so miserable. She wished there was a way she could make it better. "He can't hurt you while you're asleep. The things you see when you sleep aren't real."

"It feels so real." Molly insisted.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Claire offered, still slowly massaging the girl's head. "Maybe if you tell me what you saw it won't feel so scary. We can talk about it together and then you don't have to be afraid all by yourself anymore."

Molly leaned back slowly, letting Claire wipe away her tears with the sleeve of her sweatshirt.

"Do you want to talk?"

She nodded, "okay."

"How about I have Peter make us some hot chocolate? Would you like that?" Molly nodded again and Claire slid off the bed. "I'll be right back." She opened the door, still looking at Molly, and crashed into Peter who had been standing just on the other side of the door. "Were you eavesdropping?"

"No…" Peter paused. "Yes…well, I have to find things out somehow and you two never include me in your conversations!"

Claire glanced back at Molly who was still trying to get her crying under control. "It's not that we don't want to include you, it's just that I'm not sure Molly's ready to talk about it…"

Molly sniffed and nodded. "It's okay Claire. He should know too."

Peter looked slightly surprised, but delighted nonetheless. "Good. Then I'll get hot chocolate for the three of us and we can talk it out."


	23. Enemies Everywhere

_A/N: this one's a little short, but I wanted to introduce the new character and I also needed to talk about Molly's new boogeyman—plus it's only been 2 days, so I think this is pretty good considering. I didn't realize how hard that scene would be to write because I needed to get out important things, but from a little girl's perspective, and it's been a long time since I was a little girl, so that was definitely difficult to write. I hope it came across okay! Thanks for the reviews!_

EMILY BANKS

SURREY, BRITAIN

"The most recent order has arrived, Miss Banks."

"Oh, thank you Darla!" Emily Banks smiled at her personal assistant and slipped her caramel-rimmed glasses down from their perch atop her head, settling them on the ridge of her nose. She bent down to inspect the large rectangular package that had jut been delivered. Her thin lips turned up in a slight smile; seeing the smooth brown-paper wrapping always excited her. She slid her hand over the smooth paper, lingering briefly over the sloppy scrawl of her name and address in black marker across the center of the package.

"Aren't you going to open it?" Darla peered over the stack of paperwork she was sorting at the desk. "I know you've been dying for it to arrive!"

Emily eyed the twine binding eagerly. "I have been waiting for ages!" She held her hand out towards Darla who knowingly placed a pair of scissors in her boss's waiting palm. "I expected this much sooner. I wonder what held it up." She parted the scissors and snipped apart the twine.

"Have you heard from him lately?" Darla neglected her paperwork to watch Emily's delicate unwrapping of the package.

"No."

"I thought you spoke with him often."

"I did." Emily agreed. "I assume he's been busy."

"You miss him don't you?"

"Hardly!" Emily turned her green eyes to her assistant. "How can I miss someone I've never even met?"

"You have a better relationship with him through phone calls than I've ever had with a man in person." Darla decided. "That's not exactly something you can neglect."

"What he and I have is strictly professional." Emily insisted. "He has a girlfriend, anyhow."

"Nothing is absolute until there is a ring. They aren't engaged, are they?"

"Not that I know of."

Darla noted the smile lighting up Emily's face. "See, then he's fair game."

"Darla, an engagement does not make him fair game."

"Regardless, aren't you going to open the package?"

Emily used the scissors to slice open the brown paper wrapping and pulled it away, revealing the anticipated painting. She gasped as it was revealed; her eyes took in the details excitedly.

"It's incredible." Darla murmured from behind the desk.

"They always are." Emily admired the intricate painting technique of her favorite artist and the number one client of her art gallery. She analyzed the signature in the bottom corner and smiled as she repeated the name out loud: "Mendez."

"Did I hear my name?"

Emily spun from the painting, looking towards the front door where the voice came from. "I'm sorry?" She spotted the young man standing at the door. Taking note of his paint-splattered jeans and stylish dark red scarf wrapped loosely around his neck, contrasting with his loose tunic shirt. "Who are you?"

The dark-haired man smiled and nodded towards the painting. "I'm Isaac Mendez."

"You…" Emily lost her words as she stared at the man she had wanted to meet ever since his first painting had arrived in her shop a year ago. "Oh my god…"

He crossed the floor of the gallery and held his hand out to her. "Emily Banks, correct?"

"Yes." She shook his hand. "I…I thought you were in New York."

"I was, but I figured it was about time we met in person." He glanced at the painting leaning up against the wall behind her. "I see you've received my latest piece."

"Yes, finally."

"Sorry for the wait. I've been a little…preoccupied lately." He smirked.

"I'm just glad it finally came."

His phone chirped and he retrieved it from his pocket, glancing at the caller ID briefly. "I have to take this. Give me just one minute." He crossed the floor again and stepped outside onto the sidewalk, letting the door of the gallery shut before he answered his phone. "Hello."

"Have you arrived yet?" The voice on the other line questioned without wasting time on a greeting.

"Yes. I've just introduced myself to her."

"And she believes you?"

"Yes, she thinks I am Isaac Mendez."

"Good. Does she have the painting?"

"Yes, but she seems to have just received it. I haven't had the time to analyze the details yet."

"Stop wasting time. It is of utmost importance for us to know what that painting means."

"I am aware of my assignment."

"Good. Call us when you've accomplished it, Mr. Sylar."

"I will." Sylar hung up the phone and breathed in the crisp British air deeply before stepping back into the gallery.

PETER, CLAIRE & MOLLY

"So, let's start at the beginning." Claire decided, watching Molly's expressions carefully to pick up on her emotions. "How long have you been having these nightmares?"

Molly thought about it before answering. "It started a couple days after my parents were killed, but it's been getting worse."

"What do you see?" Claire asked. She glanced at Peter, but he seemed content to just listen.

Molly fell silent. Claire noticed her small hand trembling as it clutched her mug of hot chocolate.

"Sweetie," Claire moved closer to give the girl comfort. "It's okay. You're safe here. We won't let anyone hurt you."

"I'm always somewhere dark." Molly began. "And it feels cold. I always feel so cold. And I can usually hear talking, sometimes screaming, but I don't know where it comes from. And then…" She paused and tears sprang to her eyes.

"What is it?" Claire encouraged. "What comes next?"

"And then he comes…" She squeezed her eyes shut and her whole body seemed to quiver. Peter quickly took her mug as it began to spill over.

"Molly, it's okay." Claire set her own mug down and pulled Molly into her arms. "Open your eyes. Look at me." She rubbed the girl's back, trying to calm her down. "Don't think about it. Just focus on me."

After a few more minutes Molly finally opened her eyes, connecting with Claire anxiously. "Don't make me think about him!" She sobbed. "I don't want him to see me."

"All right." Claire continued to soothe her. "Don't focus on him. Don't let yourself focus on him and then he won't be able to control you. Just keep focusing on me."

"He's too strong." Molly insisted. "I'm scared."

Claire felt it was a little unnecessary to ask, but she did so anyway. "What exactly scares you? What does he do that scares you so much?"

"He doesn't let me go. I can't get out on my own and I'm scared that one day I won't be able to get out at all!"

"Where are you when you sleep? What is happening?"

"I can see everything he is doing and I can feel how mad he is! He's evil." Molly summed up. "He's so much worse than the boogeyman."

"What is it that makes him so evil?" Peter finally spoke up.

"He hurts people in their sleep."

"Other people? It's not just you?"

"No. He doesn't hurt me." A tear slipped down her cheek and she rubbed her away on Claire's shoulder. "He makes me think of people so he can see them too…so he can find them. Then he shows me what he's doing to everyone else and…"

"What else?" Claire questioned when Molly quieted.

"He shows me bad things that will happen."

"Like the future?"

"I don't know if it's real. They're so bad." Her eyes gazed up at Peter and then at Claire. "He shows me bad things he could do to you."

"To us?"

"I think he wants me to show him where you are." She started shaking again. "But I don't show him. I'm scared that I won't always be able to fight him. You have to keep him out of your mind."

"What would it be so bad if he got in our minds? They're just dreams right?"

Molly shook her head. "If you die in your sleep, you die for real."

Claire looked to Peter whose expression matched the confusion she was feeling. "Molly, how…"

"You don't believe me, but it's true. I've seen it. He's shown me." She started crying harder. "Don't let him in. I don't want you to die."


	24. Discussion Failure

_A/N: Sorry it's been so long! The studies are piling up. This one's longer than usual though, so enjoy, and I'll try to have more in a couple days! Review! Tell me what you want to see…who you want to see…etc. XOXO_

MOHINDER SURESH

SEATTLE

"Good morning, Dr. Suresh."

Mohinder smiled in response to the cheery greeting he received from Madeline Monroe as he entered her brother's hospital room. "Good morning, Miss Monroe."

"Please, call me Madeline, or Maddie even." She insisted. "I have a feeling we're going to be good friends, now that you've officially taken my brother as a patient."

Mohinder nodded. "That would be nice." He moved to her brother's side and picked up his chart to check on the daily updates. "How are you feeling today Mr. Monroe?"

"I'm fine, and it's Adam. If you're going to be on a first name basis with my sister, you might as well be with me too."

"Very well. Now how about a little honesty? Your charts say that you were complaining of a headache last night. Has it subsided?" Mohinder questioned.

"A little." Adam answered honestly, noticing the glare he was receiving from his sister, which warned him to be entirely truthful with the doctor. "It's still worse than I would like."

"Do you get headaches like this often?"

"Yea…every couple days, sometimes worse than others."

"I would like to track your headaches. Every time you feel one coming on, tell either me, or one of the nurses on call. I want you to pay close attention to everything you feel; where the headache is focused and how intense it is. All right?" Mohinder started scribbling notes on the file as he spoke. "Now, I've mentioned before that I can't guarantee you a cure, but I am going to experiment with one that has worked for another patient of mine, though so far the results have only proved temporary. I'm not certain about the long lasting effects."

"If you've cured someone before, why don't you think it will work again?" Madeline spoke up.

"Every individual has a unique genetic makeup, not to mention there are differences in blood types and ages to consider. My other patient is a young girl, only ten, and I'm quite certain that her genetics are different then yours." Mohinder explained. "Also, she…" He glanced at Madeline and then at Adam, not sure how much to say if he wanted them to continue to trust him.

"What?" The Monroe siblings spoke in unison.

"She possesses certain abilities…special abilities…" Mohinder paused, unable to miss the exchange of looks that passed between the brother and sister. "You have a gift as well, don't you? I assumed you did, it's the only trigger that I am aware of for the virus that you have…"

"I'm sick because of what I can do?" Adam frowned. "That's just perfect."

"Adam…" Madeline placed her hand on his shoulder. "Don't be rude!"

"May I ask you what it is that you can do?"

Adam hesitated, glancing at his sister briefly. She nodded and he sighed. "Well, I'd show you if I could."

"I'm sorry?"

"I haven't been able to in a while."

"Right, the virus is preventing you from accessing your ability." Mohinder explained.

"Tell him what you can do!" Madeline encouraged.

"I'm not sure how to explain it. I can see things that I shouldn't be able to," Adam said.

"Like things that haven't happened yet?"

"No, no, no." Madeline shook her head. "He's explaining it wrong. He can see through walls and stuff!"

Mohinder frowned. "He can see through walls?"

Madeline and Adam both nodded.

"It's like x-ray vision!" Madeline explained, sounding more than just a little proud of his ability.

"That's incredible."

"Sure, when I can do it," Adam sighed, and Mohinder knew that as much as he complained, he thoroughly enjoyed having his ability.

"I will fix you, Adam." Mohinder stated confidently. "At least, I will do everything that is in my power to."

Adam smiled at him just slightly, but it was enough to encourage Mohinder in his mission for finding a cure. It wasn't just Molly anymore. Adam was proof that what had killed his sister, Shanti, and nearly killed Molly, was spreading and it was focusing on people with special abilities. He was determined not to let them suffer for being special.

His phone vibrated in his pocket and he pulled it out to glance at the caller ID. "I'm sorry, but I have to take this."

The Monroes nodded and Mohinder pressed the answer button as he stepped out of the room.

"Claire?"

"_Hey Dr. Suresh…how's Seattle?" _

"It's good. Rainy, but good. I've actually located someone else who is suffering from the same disease that Molly has." Mohinder told her.

"_Does he have an ability too?" _

"Yes, I haven't seen it because he can't perform while he's sick, but his sister says it's similar to x-ray vision."

Claire was silent for a minute and then started laughing. _"That's awesome!" _

"Yes, it is." Mohinder enjoyed the young girl's friendship, but at the same time it wasn't usual for her to call him without a purpose. "Is something wrong Claire? You're still safe right? You're with Peter and he's taking care of you and Molly all right, isn't he?"

"_It's more like I'm taking care of Peter and Molly actually, but yes, everything's fine in the way that you mean…"_ She paused again but Mohinder could still hear her breathing on the other line. _"It's Molly."_

"What's wrong with her?" Mohinder panicked automatically.

"_She's been getting these nightmares…"_

"Yes, you've mentioned that to me before…"

"_They've been getting worse." _Claire informed him. _"Peter and I finally got her to talk about them…Mohinder it's awful!" _

"What is?"

"_What she sees when she goes to sleep," _Claire explained. _"And it isn't just once in a while. She has the nightmares every night! I'm really worried for her. I think you should come home." _

"Claire, I can't just come home. I'm busy here. I have a patient, remember? I care about Molly and I want her to be safe, but I need you and Peter to look after her for me. When I left, you said that you could take care of her."

"_I know, and I can for all the general needs, but I don't know how to take care of these nightmares. They're terrifying her so much that she's afraid to go to sleep anymore." _

"You have to handle it. If I leave now, Adam could die."

"_If Molly's nightmares keep up I'm afraid many more people could die." _

"What do you mean?"

"_I don't know exactly, it's just what she sees…"_

"What does she see?"

"_Death." _

NATHAN & HEIDI

NEW YORK

"Nathan, answer the phone!" Heidi stood at the top of the stairs as the phone persistently rang in her husband's office. "Nathan! Can you please get it?" When he didn't respond, she trudged down the stairs and into the office to find it empty and the phone ringing on his desk. "Where is that man when I need him?" She rolled her eyes and answered the phone. "Hello, Petrelli residence."

"_Umm…hi…umm…" _

"Oh, hi, this is Claire, isn't it?" Heidi recognized the girl's slight Texan accent almost instantly.

"_Yea, it is." _Claire paused. _"Is this Heidi?"_

"Yes." Heidi was silent. Having her husband's daughter over for dinner was one thing, but she wasn't sure how ready she was to start up phone conversations. "How are you?"

"_Good…thanks for asking. You?"_

"Very well, thank you."

_"So…is Nathan there?"_

"I don't know. I assumed he would answer his phone, but he's not in his office. Let me look for him. Could you hold a minute?" Heidi was eager to pass the phone off to her husband.

"_Sure, I'll wait." _

Heidi set the phone down on the desk and started searching the house, calling out every once in a while and waiting for an answer.

"Heidi, what's wrong?" Nathan finally appeared at the top of the steps just as his wife was heading back to the office.

"Good question. Where have you been?" Heidi demanded.

"Up in the attic, just going through some paperwork."

"In the attic?" Heidi repeated.

"Yea…some of dad's old things."

"Oh, I see…" Heidi remembered her purpose and pointed to the office. "Claire's on the phone for you."

"Thanks!" Nathan galloped down the steps, darted past his wife and into his office, unconsciously closing the door for privacy before picking up the phone. "Claire?"

"_Hey Nathan." _

"Hi! It's good to hear from you. I've been meaning to call you since dinner, but things have been a little busy around here."

"_I'm sure they have with you settling into office and everything…I don't want to be bothering you or anything…" _

"You're not!" He assured her quickly. "I'm glad that you called. Is there something particular you wanted?"

"_Actually, Peter and I have planned a little meeting with some of the others…you know the others with special abilities like ours. We thought it might be a good idea to get everyone together and discuss things…"_ Claire explained. _"See, we think there's a new bad guy in town…"_

"A new bad guy?" Nathan repeated.

"_I think we could all be in trouble." _

"Okay…"

"_So, we're going to meet tonight at Peter's place. Do you think you could come?" _

"I…I'm not sure Claire." Nathan had had a hard enough time admitting his powers to his wife. He wasn't sure if he was ready to face a whole group of people who shared in his uniqueness.

"_Please! I think it's important for us all to know each other…just in case something bad does come up…plus I'd really like to see you again!" _

Even though it was only a phone conversation, Nathan could imagine Claire's pleading green eyes, and he couldn't refuse. "What time?"

NIKI, DL, MICAH, MATT, PETER, MOLLY, CLAIRE, NATHAN

PETER'S APARTMENT

"Hello!" Claire pulled back the door, greeting the newest arrivals with a wide smile. "I'm glad you could make it!"

"Yea, me too." Matt gave her a half-hug being careful not to stretch his stitches.

"Come on in, almost everyone's here already." Claire motioned him into the living room where the rest of the group had congregated. She had barely shut the door before she heard the excited squeals of Molly welcoming her 'hero'.

"Officer Parkman!"

Claire looked back just in time to see the little girl flying across the room and wrapping her arms around Matt's stomach.

"Hey Molly!" Matt patted her on the head, trying not to wince at her innocent attack.

"Sweetie, take it easy on him, he's only been out of the hospital for a few days." Claire joined the others as Molly removed herself from her hero.

"Are you still hurting?" She asked him with genuine concern.

"Not too badly." Matt assured her. "Just a little achy every once in a while." He glanced around the room, taking note of the others who had made it to the meeting. "I don't think I've officially met all of you."

"No, we haven't." Niki was the first to stand and proffer her hand. "I'm Niki."

Matt shook her hand cautiously. "Niki? Not Jessica?"

Niki shook her head. "No, not Jessica."

"I don't understand. I've met you. I mean I've met Jessica. She looks exactly like you…"

"I know," she shrugged. "It's hard to understand…I am Niki and then there's Jessica…who I guess is also me…but she hasn't been around in a while."

"Think Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. It helps me get my head around it." Claire spoke up.

"Okay…I'll leave it at that. It's nice to meet you Niki, and as long as you don't try to shoot me or throw me out of a window, then I'm definitely going to like you better than Jessica."

Niki's smile wavered slightly. "She threw you out of a window? I'm so sorry!"

"It's okay. I lived…obviously." Matt glanced behind her at the black man sitting on the couch and the young boy beside him.

"This is my husband, DL, and our son, Micah." Niki introduced her family and then returned to her place beside them on the couch.

"Good to meet you both." Matt took one of the vacant leather armchairs and Molly instantly perched on the arm of his chair, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Is anyone else coming?" Niki asked as Peter and Claire headed into the kitchen for refreshments.

"Maybe…" Claire called back over her shoulder. "I mean, there's only one other possibility and he didn't seem very interested…" She took the bags of chips that Peter handed her and brought them into the living room. "Maybe I should call him again though…" She was interrupted by a knock on the door and rushed to answer it.

"Sorry I'm a little late." Nathan apologized the instant she had opened the door.

"Better late than never," Claire assured him. She lingered in the doorway staring at him for a moment, feeling strangely hypnotized by the sight of the man she had now officially started calling 'dad' in her thoughts, but only in her thoughts. She wasn't ready for him to know that just yet; she did want him to know how much she cared though. "I'm glad you came."

"I thought I should…" He shrugged, but his eyes connected with hers. "And I wanted to see you again…" He hesitated, moving towards her with uncertainty.

She frowned, not quite understanding his motion, but as he started opening his arms she realized he was attempting to give her a hug and she quickly obliged by wrapping her own arms around him first. "You don't have to be afraid to hug me." She told him.

"I know." He tightened his arms around her waist. "I'm not…I just don't quite know how to act with you yet Claire…"

"Just act like yourself." She instructed. "It's going to take time for us to be comfortable with each other, but I'm not in any hurry…"

"Ah, that's sweet." Peter spoke up from behind them, interrupting the emotional scene. "Have you bonded enough yet? There are people waiting!"

Claire and Nathan finally broke their embrace and followed Peter back to the living room.

Claire walked closely behind Peter and stared intently at the back of his head. _I know you're listening to me right now…_

His head jerked to the side just slight enough for her to know her thoughts were correct.

_How am I ever supposed to get anywhere with Nathan if you won't even give us a second alone together? _

Peter glanced over his shoulder and offered her a slightly apologetic smile.

_I wish I could read your thoughts. It would make this conversation a lot easier. _

Peter grinned and stepped back beside her. "You don't have to read my thoughts, Claire. You know if there's ever anything you want to know, all you have to do is ask. I will never keep secrets from you."

Claire processed the sincerity of his comment and smiled. _Thanks. I'll never keep any from you either. _

"Thanks. It's not like you could even if you wanted to though." He winked and stepped out of her reach just before her mind had time to catch up with what he had said.

"Now we're all here!" Claire announced to the room as she entered with the Petrelli men in toe.

"Nathan!" Niki leapt to her feet.

Nathan's eyes widened; he had no response to the shock of seeing the blonde.

"You two know each other?" Peter inquired, eyeing the two curiously.

"We've met…" Niki mumbled, her face blushing abnormally. Her eyes shifted between her husband and Nathan and she slowly resumed her seat.

"Once or twice." Nathan added, unable to resist narrowing his eyes at her. "This, I'm assuming is your husband and son?" He motioned to DL and Micah.

"I'm DL Hawkins." DL stood to shake Nathan's hand, glancing briefly at Niki.

"Nathan Petrelli." He shook DL's hand before taking one of the open armchairs.

"He's Claire's father." Niki spoke up unnecessarily. She seemed eager to keep the conversation going, and not revolving around how she and Nathan knew each other.

Claire smiled and nodded.

"So, aren't we supposed to be having a meeting of some sort?" Matt interrupted the casual chitchat. "I don't mean to rush this, but I do have a very pregnant and very hormonal wife waiting up for me."

"Where are you and Janice staying now that you're out of the hospital anyway?" Claire asked as she took the last remaining armchair, leaving Peter the last one standing. He analyzed the situation with a frown, wondering why he didn't have a seat in his own home.

"We're staying at a hotel for now." Matt answered Claire's question as her eyes wandered up to Peter.

_We can share._ She offered him, letting the others continue their conversation as she focused on Peter. His smile confirmed that he had picked up on her thought and she stood as he came over and took her place in the chair. _I said we'd share! _She whined. He smiled and patted his lap. _You've got to be kidding me! _She frowned, but he ignored her thought and hooked his finger through one of the belt loops on her jeans, pulling her down onto his lap.

"Peter!" She neglected her thoughts due to the shock of his sudden action.

Everyone's attention was suddenly drawn to the two as they continued to squabble.

"What?" Peter glanced around at them all, keeping his arms firmly locked around Claire's waist. "I don't have enough chairs. Can we get on with the meeting now?"

"Dr. Suresh wanted to be here, but he's found someone in Seattle who needs his medical attention." Claire explained to the group, giving in to Peter and finally settling down comfortably on his lap.

"Peter, you're the one who initiated this meeting. So, what exactly is it for?" Niki asked.

Peter hesitated. "I…I don't know. I just thought we should all get together and…talk…"

"About what?'

"About what we can do." He exclaimed, thinking the reason should have been obvious. "I know I was relieved the first time I learned that I wasn't alone…I've had some time to process it and obviously do something with my gifts…I just wondered how the rest of you felt I suppose."

Claire tried not to laugh at how badly formed his plan was. _You really didn't think this out did you? _

"Shut up." He poked her in the ribs.

"Who are you talking to?" DL asked.

"Never mind." He shook his head. "So?"

"So what?" Nathan piped in, a little more curtly than was necessary. "What do you want us to say Peter? I don't think everyone's as happy as you are about what we can do."

Peter frowned. "Do you all feel that way?"

Molly's eyes watered and she buried her head in Matt's shoulder, but Peter could read her thoughts. _If I couldn't do what I can do, he couldn't get into my head and use me to hurt other people. _

Peter decided to use his powers to inspect the rest of the gathered people's thoughts; he didn't care that Claire would accuse him of invading their privacy. He focused on Niki and tried not to react to what she was thinking.

_I almost killed my husband. That's not who I want to be. _

He blinked, removing himself from her mind and focused on his own brother: _I should have been in the car with Heidi. If it weren't for my abilities she might not have ever been hurt. _

Peter started to intrude into Claire's mind, but pulled out, thinking better of it—he had heard enough. "I'm sorry. Maybe this wasn't a good idea after all."


	25. Destiny & Deception

PETER & CLAIRE

PETER'S APARTMENT

"Well, that could have gone better." Claire pulled her boots off with effort before collapsing back on the couch.

"I knew they weren't going to be ready." Peter admitted, handing a mug of hot tea to Claire as he sat beside her. "They aren't going to be ready to find their purpose until they accept the good of their abilities. I've been working on Nathan for weeks and he's still rejecting it."

"I can imagine how difficult it must be for him being in the public eye so much. He's probably constantly afraid of everyone finding out. Especially considering everything that's happened…" Claire tried to reason.

Peter looked at her skeptically. "He's just avoiding his destiny…"

"Destiny? Peter, I'm not too positive about destiny myself."

"How can you say that after all you've seen and everything you've been a part of?"

"All I've been a part of is stopping a twisted scheme created by a group of evil morons. That's not destiny. That's making a responsible decision."

"To save the world!" Peter reminded her. "Claire, if it weren't for you, I would have exploded the city!"

Claire glared at him fiercely. "You promised we wouldn't talk about it anymore."

"I know. I'm sorry." Peter sighed. "I don't mean to upset you…I just need you to admit how much you did. You saved me Claire!"

"Maybe you forgot, but you still exploded Peter!" Her voice rose automatically. "I couldn't stop you."

"Claire, maybe it's dumb, but I don't hate you for not being able to shoot me. I'm not sure if anyone's ever shown me that kind of love before."

"Love?" She hadn't thought of it that way, but when she took time to reflect on why she had frozen, she realized he was right. In that split second at Kirby Plaza, Claire had frozen due to how much she cared for him. Shooting him would have meant eliminating the one person she trusted and cared for more than possibly anyone else in her life. Her eyes moistened as she let herself dwell on the loneliness, she would have felt if she had gone through with it.

"Claire, it's okay. Don't think about that." Peter jumped into her thoughts quickly. "It didn't happen and that's what matters. I'm here, with you, and New York is fine, because of you. You not only saved me and the city, but you saved Nathan by showing him the right direction." He smiled. "It's an amazing ability to be able to get through to him."

_I was so scared._

"I know." Peter pulled her into his arms. "I'm so sorry I put you in that situation. If I had listened to you in the first place and not gone to Nathan we would have left the city together and prevented the whole thing…"

Claire's thoughts cleared up suddenly. "Maybe it was destiny…all of it…"

SYLAR & EMILY

LONDON

"Is everything all right?"

Sylar focused on Emily as he reentered the gallery. "Yes, everything's fine."

"Mr. Mendez, I don't want to sound rude, because honestly, I'm delighted to finally meet you, but what are you doing here…in London?"

"I thought it was time for us to meet. You've been such a faithful seller of my work for so long…I wanted to know you in person." He paused, analyzing her expression and listening to her heartbeat to pick up on her emotions in that moment. "Should I not have come?"

"No, not at all…I mean yes…" She stopped herself and smiled. "I'm glad you came. I've been wanting to meet you for months."

"Same with me." Sylar moved toward the painting, still half-covered by brown wrapping. "Do you like it?"

"Oh…I haven't really had a chance to admire it yet." She admitted, joining him as he removed the rest of the covering. As the paper fell to the ground her eyes lit up curiously. "That woman…" She frowned. "It sort of looks like me."

Sylar analyzed both the painting and the woman standing beside him. He agreed that the similarities were remarkable, though he couldn't know for sure.

"I've never seen you before…" He stuttered. "How could I put you into one of my paintings?"

"I don't know…you wouldn't I suppose." Emily agreed. "It must be a coincidence." She smiled, but her eyes remained glued to the painting. "It's good. Brilliant really." She told him at last. "The color is extraordinary…and the detail…" She reached out a finger, but pulled back before she made contact. "The detail is more vivid than any of the other paintings…"

"Yes, I know." Sylar didn't know what to say.

"I mean the subject is a bit disturbing…" Emily frowned, letting her eyes trace the action between the two people portrayed on the canvas. There was a man dressed darkly with no detail to his face. His arm was raised, fingers outstretched towards the woman that Emily thought similar to herself. The woman was crouched with her arms out defensively and her face contorted in terror. Her wild red hair twisted around her face and neck and her green eyes were wide. Emily tried to ignore their similarities, and focus on the skill behind the painting.

"It also feels more rushed, perhaps more urgent…were you rushing for some reason?"

Sylar paused. He didn't know how to respond to something he knew nothing about, though if his boss's estimation of when Isaac painted it was correct, then it would have been only a day before Isaac met his fate at Sylar's own hand. Perhaps Isaac's rush had something to do with the fact that he had predicted his own death and knew he was running out of time.

"I might have rushed a little…it's strange, but I don't have much memory of this painting." He noticed her expression and quickly started making a story. "My girlfriend and I were going through a bit of a rough patch…actually we were dealing with a bad breakup…"

"You broke up?" Emily couldn't help smiling. "So, you're single now?"

Sylar heard her heart start to race and he felt an urge to smile and the excitement she was feeling. "Yes, I am. Are you?" He heard her heart skip a beat.

"Yes."

"Good, then I won't have to worry about any jealous boyfriends if I ask you to join me for lunch."

"Lunch?" Emily found herself nodding before she managed to vocally respond.

"Good, then it's a date."

NATHAN & HEIDI PETRELLI

NEW YORK CITY

"Are you going to be coming to bed anytime soon?" Heidi rapped her knuckles on the door to her husband's office. "I've been waiting for you."

Nathan looked up from his paperwork as his wife stepped into the room. "I'm sorry sweetheart. I've been so swamped trying to catch up on everything since all that's happened…" He glimpsed the lace lingerie hidden beneath her silk robe and realized that she had more on her mind than simply going to bed.

She saw him admiring her and untied the robe so he could have a better view. "It's been days since I've had my legs back in full function." Heidi reminded him. "It's been nearly seven months since we've made love…"

Nathan smiled. "I am well aware."

"I was thinking that tonight we could do something about that."

"You read my mind, honey. Just give me a couple more minutes down here to finish up, okay?" Nathan smiled. "I'll be up soon, I promise."

Heidi nodded and left the room, leaving him to his work.

Waiting a moment after she had left to make sure that he was alone, Nathan reached for his phone and dialed out on his private line. It rang four times and he almost gave up, but finally she answered.

"_Hello?"_

"Hi…" He paused. "Umm, is this Niki?"

"_Yea…who is this?"_

"It's Nathan, Nathan Petrelli."

"_Oh…hi. It's kind of late, isn't it?" _

"I know, but I have to talk to you about something. It's important. I've been thinking about it all day and I didn't want to bring it up earlier tonight at the meeting, but I can't move on until I've talked to you…"

"_I think I know what you're talking about Nathan." _

"Then you understand why it's weighing on me so much."

"_Look, what happened in Vegas was…unexpected. I didn't know what I was doing…" _

"But I did." Nathan almost whispered it out. That's what had been bothering him so much. Niki had explained to him about Jessica and how she wasn't always in control of her own body, but that only made it worse for Nathan. Niki had been strong enough to say 'no' and to do the right thing, but Nathan hadn't. He had slept with another woman, knowing full well how wrong it was to do that to his wife, who loved him so unconditionally and who had been paralyzed because of him…

"_Nathan, I don't know what to say. What do you want from me?" _

"I don't know." Nathan sighed. "It's just with you living in the city now and with everything that's happened, we're bound to see each other again some time…"

"_I'd say there's definitely a possibility. But there is definitely not a possibility of anything ever happening between us again, so I think we should just put it all behind us and move on." _

"Niki, I need to be sure that you'll never say anything…" Nathan took a breath. "To anyone. I have a reputation to live up to now that I've been elected…it puts me in a very vulnerable position and I can't risk…"

"_Don't worry._" Niki cut him off. _"I won't tell anyone. Your image is safe, and so is your marriage." _

"Thank you." Nathan sighed with relief. "I'm sorry to have bothered you."

"_It's fine. I'll see you around." _

"Bye." Nathan hung up the phone, feeling safer, but perhaps even a little guiltier than before. He had been debating with himself for days about telling his wife the truth, but this phone call with Niki tonight finalized his decision and as he trekked up the stairs to the bed where his wife was waiting for him, he knew that he would never confess his transgressions.


	26. Determination

KENSEI & HIRO

JAPAN

"I don't understand." Hiro had been following Kensei around his fortress for nearly thirty minutes. The samurai was anything but calm. He had been rushing frantically, barking orders at everyone who stepped in his path, desperately plotting how to rescue his princess.

"This is not good! If Kaori has been found out by her brother, she will be punished…possibly killed!"

"Surely her own brother won't hurt her!"

"He is an evil man." Kensei insisted. "I don't want to think about what he would do."

"Don't worry. We will rescue your princess!"

"How can we?"

"You are Takezo Kensei! You are a hero! And my abilities will help." Hiro was certain that retrieving the princess wouldn't be difficult; especially not when he considered all he had accomplished in the past few weeks.

"Hiro Nakamura, you are a brave man. What you propose though, is not something that I think can be done." Kensei confessed sadly.

"But, you are a hero! You are a great man and…"

"I am a warrior, but even I would not dare to go up against all of the guards who have sword their allegiance to Kaori's brother." He hung his head. "I am not special like you. My abilities are only what I have made for myself…my strength and skill…but even they will fail me if I attempt to rescue my love."

Hiro frowned. "If you do not go after her, she might die."

"I don't know what to do." Kensei fell to his knees and openly wept into his callused hands.

Hiro was overwhelmed with confusion, watching the legendary Takezo Kensei in such a great state of despair and hopelessness. "But…she can't die." Hiro mumbled. _Not like Charlie. _Remembering the girl whom he had cared so much about but was unable to save, gave Hiro a surge of determination. "I will save her."

"What?" Kensei's sobs quieted as he looked up to analyze Hiro. "It's impossible."

"Not for a hero." Hiro insisted. "I can save her and I will."

"It's too dangerous…you could be killed," Kensei argued.

"If I am too afraid to try, then how can I ever call myself a true hero?"

Kensei smiled at Hiro's insistence, but still shook his head. "We'll find another way."

"No! This is my destiny. I now know why I have come here." Without another word, Hiro squeezed his eyes shut, concentrating with all his might, on where he assumed the Princess was being kept.

JADEN & CLAIRE

NEW YORK

"I'm sorry I've been so busy lately. I've really missed hanging out with you though…"

"Hanging out?" Jaden laughed. "Is that all we've been doing?"

"I don't know what you mean." Claire adjusted the scarf she had tied over her long curls.

"Well, before you decided you were too busy for me, I sort of assumed we had been dating." Jaden told her. "I mean, I did take you out to dinner a few times. That felt like dating to me."

Claire blushed. "You're right. I'm sorry. I didn't mean just hanging out like that. I considered us dating too."

"Good, so then this tonight, this is a date too?" Jaden pressed.

"Absolutely." Claire agreed, raising her champagne glass filled with sparkling cider.

"I'll toast to that." Jaden picked up his own glass, which held an expensive white wine, and clinked it together with Claire's. "Now, there's something I've been meaning to ask you about, but I'm sort of nervous about what the answer's going to be."

"You can ask me anything Jaden." Claire sipped her drink slowly.

"Last time I saw you, you still hadn't made up your mind about whether or not you were going to remain in the city. I was wondering if you had decided yet?"

Claire smiled. "That was your question?" She started laughing. "That's it? I thought it was something serious."

"It is serious!" Jaden insisted. "It's serious to me. Either you're going to stay in the city and I will be able to continue to date you, hopefully on a more frequent basis, or you will be returning to Texas and I may never see you again!"

"I'm glad you feel that way." Claire was thrilled how much he cared about her future. "I should have told you earlier. I'm sorry. Things have been so crazy lately, I just haven't really had much time for my own things…like dating."

Jaden nodded. "I've noticed, but what is it that you should have told me?"

"I've decided to stay in New York, at least for now. I'm not sure what will happen in the future, but I plan on staying for a while. Definitely long enough to start up school here in the fall."

"That's good news," Jaden decided. "And in honor of the good news, I think we should make plans for future dates…lots of them preferably."

"Really?" Claire's eyes glowed. "That sounds like a good idea. What do you have in mind?"

"Well, let's start with tomorrow." Jaden started chose a piece of the bread from the basket on the table and dipped it in the oil he had fixed on a small plate.

"Okay." Claire nodded. "Tomorrow's open for me…oh actually I'm busy tomorrow night…"

"What about the morning? We could do breakfast and then spend the day browsing Soho."

"Browsing Soho? Seriously?" Claire grinned.

"Is that bad? We could do something else if you'd rather…"

"No, it's perfect. I've been dying to go there ever since I moved to the city, but I haven't found anyone who would go with me. I'm just surprised that you're interested." Claire told him. "I don't know many guys who would voluntarily spend the day shopping Soho."

"Well, I'm just trying to go above and beyond."

"That's cheesy." Claire laughed.

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Sometimes…this time…not so much." Claire looked up as the waiter delivered their entrees. "I think a day in Soho sounds perfect."

"Great, then I'll pick you up at nine tomorrow morning…" Jaden lost his attention to his cell phone ringing in his pocket. "I'm sorry…I have to take this…" Jaden apologized with a quick glance at the caller ID. "I'll be right back." He excused himself from the table and disappeared in the direction of the restrooms.

He returned a few minutes later with his phone still gripped in his hand and a frown fixed on his face. "Claire, I am so sorry, but I have to go…"

"Go?" Claire frowned. "I thought tonight was supposed to be about making up for the dates we've both been missing!"

"I know, and I feel really bad about this, but that call was work. I've got to go." Jaden insisted.

"Fine, I guess I'll have to settle for tomorrow."

"Yea…umm…about that…maybe we should just wait and see, okay?"

"What?" Claire stood quickly. "Just a second ago you were ecstatic at the idea of being able to spend more time together and now you're canceling the first date we've made?"

"I said I'm sorry, but it's my job. I can't just drop everything for a date!"

Claire pulled back. "No reason to get so defensive!"

"I'm sorry. It's just been a long week and work's been very demanding lately."

"You're an intern, Jaden!"

"And it's an intern's job to always be available when they're called." Jaden reminded her. "The intern does all the dirty work."

"Clearly, I will have to learn that I come second to your career." Claire shook her head.

Jaden's phone rang again. "Claire, I don't know how many ways I can that I'm sorry, but I really do have to go now."

"Fine, let me get my things and you can drop me off on the way to the hospital."

"You should stay and finish your meal." Jaden decided. "I don't want to interrupt your night just because I'm on call."

"Eating alone doesn't sound too exciting." Claire told him. "Seriously, you should just take me home. It's on the way!"

"I feel guilty. Really. Please stay." He pulled out his wallet and withdrew a hundred dollar bill. "This should cover the meal and the tip. I'll make it up to you I promise."

Claire took the money and turned to place it on the table before saying goodbye, but when she turned around again he was already gone.

PETER & CLAIRE

NEW YORK

"I think it was a good idea for Molly to stay with Niki and Micah tonight." Claire decided as she opened the oven door to retrieve the garlic chicken she had attempted for dinner that evening. She was tired of Peter complaining about her meals.

"Yea, me too. It's been hard for lately and I hate feeling like there's nothing I can do for her." Peter watched Claire reach into the oven without mitts for protection and quickly grabbed her hands, pulling her away. "Watch it!"

"Peter, I can't get hurt." Claire tried wriggling her hands free from his grip, but he didn't let go.

"Just because you can reach into a 400 degree oven and not get a blister, doesn't mean you should. Besides, I'd rather not have to smell burnt flesh all through dinner." He pushed her out of the way and used the oven mitts to pull the chicken out himself. "It smells good."

"Thanks. I tried really hard. It's a recipe that my mom uses a lot, but I've never tried it on my own though…" she finished setting the table for two as he served the chicken. "Can you get the potatoes please? They're staying warm on the stove." She poured soda into two glasses while Peter did her bidding.

"You know, you've been awfully quiet tonight about Jaden." Peter mentioned as he placed the potatoes on the table and took his seat.

Claire quickly turned her back to him, pretending to be busy with retrieving ice cubes from the freezer. "Umm, yea I don't really want to talk about that."

"Come on Claire." Peter waited for her to finally take her seat before bombarding her with questions again. "He ditched you at dinner three days ago! I had to come and rescue you so you wouldn't look like an idiot sitting there by yourself."

"I don't need you to remind me." Claire snapped. "Do you think I liked having to call my uncle because of a bad date?"

"Wow, the way you say that makes it sound really lame."

"I don't mean that you're lame. It was really nice of you to come. It saved me an expensive taxi ride if nothing else." Claire sighed. "I feel bad making you drive all the way out there though."

"I didn't mind coming to your rescue," Peter said. "What I do mind is you crying yourself to sleep for the last two nights."

"Were you spying on me?"

"Not really, but you weren't exactly being quiet." He shrugged. "I wanted to say something, but I didn't think you'd want to be disturbed. I don't like that guy making you cry!"

"He doesn't do it on purpose." Claire argued. "His job just keeps him busy."

"I've never known an intern to work as much he does."

"He's dedicated."

"He's hiding something." Peter exclaimed suddenly.

Claire narrowed her eyes at him. _Why are you jealous? _

"I'm not jealous!" Peter defended.

"I…I didn't mean for you to hear that." She told him. "You know some of my thoughts are meant to be private. Of course you're not jealous. You're my uncle. That would be ridiculous."

"Exactly." Peter agreed quickly. "I'm just…"

"Protective." Claire finished his thought.

"Right." Peter took a bite of the chicken and smiled. "This tastes really good Claire. I'm seriously impressed."

"Thanks." Claire tasted it herself and nodded, impressed with her own cooking skills. "Maybe I'll try salmon tomorrow."

"Sounds delicious."

A knock on the door interrupted their dinner.

"I'll get it." Claire offered, but Peter held up a hand.

"Let me." He motioned to the door and used his telekinetic powers to flip up the lock and twist the handle. The door opened and Matt walked in.

"I think having powers has made you lazy." Matt accused Peter as he entered the room and closed the door. "You're lucky it was me out there; you're not exactly being secretive with your abilities."

Peter grinned. "I knew it was you, Matt. I could hear your thoughts."

"Through the door? Impressive. You're adjusting to them faster than I thought." Matt pulled out a chair at the table to join them.

"It's because he practices so much," Claire said. "Have you eaten yet?"

"Yea, I just came from dinner actually." Matt told them. "Janice was tired, so I sent her home to get some rest while I came to check up on the two of you."

"Check up on us?" Claire repeated. "You make it sound like we're incapable of taking care of ourselves."

"Well, I don't know about you, but I wouldn't imagine Peter's very good at the whole housecleaning thing…"

"And you think you're somehow better equipped to instruct us on the fine arts of housecleaning?" Claire laughed. "Thanks for wanting to help, but I'm actually a very good housekeeper!"

"That's true." Peter contributed. _She'd make a really good wife. _

Matt glanced at Peter curiously and raised an eyebrow, but refrained from saying anything. Peter didn't seem to catch the look.

Claire looked at Matt skeptically. "What did you really come over here for?"

"I…" He hesitated and Peter quickly read his thoughts.

"You wanted to talk about what we didn't discuss the other night." Peter finished for him.

He nodded. "I just…it's been hard with Janice and everything that's happened…now that she's pregnant…I just don't know what I'm doing with my life anymore."

"You guys decided to stay here in the city. That implies that you had some sort of idea about what you wanted to do."

"All I know is that we are done with California. That place doesn't have happy memories for us. We need to start a new life together and with our child. And New York's a good a place as any."

"Well, it might be a little selfish of me, but I'm glad you're staying. I enjoyed getting to know you while you were in the hospital." Claire told him.

"You too." Matt smiled at her appreciatively. "Anyway, Janice likes it here. She grew up in Chicago and she never really settled in LA. She's already counting the days before winter comes and she gets something other than an eighty degree Christmas."

"Isn't Janice due right around Christmas?"

"A couple weeks before actually," Matt nodded.

"That's so exciting! I can't wait." Claire beamed, clapping her hands together in an unconscious display of her cheerleading tendencies. "Do you think I can be there at the hospital when she delivers? I mean not in the room or anything, but just waiting!'

"Claire, it's still a few months away."

"I know! I'm just so excited. I've just never actually known anyone to have a baby. I was so little when my parents adopted my brother, I don't really remember what it was like! I can't wait to be able to baby-sit." She jumped up from the table to fetch more soda from the fridge.

"Baby-sit? Aren't we jumping ahead a little here? How do you know if you'll even still be around then?" Matt questioned. "You could be back in Texas, or something."

Claire returned to the table. Her eyes had dimmed and she wasn't smiling anymore. "Nathan said he wanted me to stay here. I'm supposed to start school in a couple weeks. Why wouldn't I still be here?"

"He was just trying to say to be patient, Claire." Peter encouraged her quickly. "Of course you'll still be here." _If I have my way, you'll never leave. _

Matt again caught Peter's thoughts, but decided not to mention it. Instead he tried to further encourage the girl. "I'm sure Janice will love to have you in the waiting room when the time comes. And if we ever need a baby-sitter, you'll be first on the list."

"Thanks!" Her smile returned in full.

_God, she's so beautiful when she smiles. Why can't Jaden appreciate what he has? I know I would if I were him…_

Matt couldn't ignore Peter's thoughts anymore. He cleared his throat and looked at him with narrowed eyes. Understanding hit Peter suddenly and his cheeks flushed red.

"Umm…Claire, can you excuse us for a minute. I needed to talk to Matt about something…nothing important. Guy stuff." Peter stood and jerked his head, signaling for Matt to follow him into the bedroom, while Claire continued eating. "Were you reading my thoughts?"

"Not on purpose."

"Matt, you don't have any right in my head! My thoughts are private!"

"You're not kidding." Matt agreed. "Peter, she's just a kid! Not to mention, she's your niece!"

"I know!" Peter protested. "They're just thoughts…they don't mean anything, and they're not hurting anyone…"

"But you're having them all the same, and I have a feeling this wasn't the first time you found yourself thinking along those lines."

Peter didn't answer, and he did his best not to think, but it was impossible. He couldn't lie to Matt.

"Peter, that's screwed up."

"I know!" He agreed quickly. "Don't you think I've thought about it? Don't you think I feel bad about it? I can't help it! Living with her for the past couple weeks has been so great. She's incredible, really. She's everything that's best about girls, and people for that matter." Peter tried rationalizing his thoughts.

"You're related." Matt rebuked him, ignoring the turmoil that Peter was clearly feeling about the issue.

"I know!" Peter repeated. "And that's what gets me. God, what do you think she'd do if she ever found out that I think she's the most beautiful girl…" He stopped himself suddenly, realizing this wasn't a conversation he wanted to continue with Matt. "Look, it doesn't matter. She is my brother's daughter and she trusts me to take care of her, not to…"

"Not to what?"

Peter forced himself to keep his brain quiet, but it was useless. _Not to fall for her. _

"Oh my god." Matt shook his head. "How can you seriously be thinking that? How can you have feelings for Claire? Do you have any idea how sick that is?"

"Of course I do." Peter was angry now. He was angry because he had spent the past week trying to convince himself that he only cared about Claire as an uncle should care about a niece that he wanted to protect, and not as anything more. Now that Matt knew, it made everything more difficult to ignore. He really did care for Claire. And not just in a familial way. "I can't help it."

"Well, you better do something about it then. This can't continue Peter. Think of Claire. Think of how she would feel if she knew that you were taking advantage of this living situation to _lust_ after her."

"God, when you put it like that…" Peter felt more disgusted with himself than ever. _I sound like a pervert. _

"Yea, exactly."

Peter brushed his hair out of his eyes and nodded firmly. "I'll take care of it."

"Good." Matt paused. "How?"

Peter hated it, but he didn't know what else to do. "I'll have her move in with Nathan and Heidi. If she's not living here, I won't be able to think about her. I'll just keep myself distant from her…" _God, I'm going to miss her. _

"It's for the best."


	27. Changes Will Be Made

NIKI & DL

NEW YORK

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" Niki rushed to her husband's side, glaring at the box in his arms.

"I'm helping."

"You're still recovering! I'm pretty sure the doctor implied that recovering meant not heavy lifting!"

"I feel helpless just sitting around watching my wife and son do all the unpacking." DL complained.

"And I'd feel pretty horrible if I let my husband burst his stitches helping with something that I am perfectly capable of doing on my own." Niki took the box away from him, lifting it easily.

"Honey, I don't want you lifting things that are too heavy either…"

"I'm strong, remember?" She winked at him and pushed past him to carry the box up the stairs and into their newly rented apartment.

"Damn, I didn't realize I had married superwoman!" DL chased her up the steps and stopped her in the doorway by slipping his arms around her stomach and kissing her neck.

"DL! I might be strong, but I'm not going to be able to hold onto this box if you keep doing that!" She protested, giggling at his tickling kisses. "Besides, what if our neighbors see? I want to make a good first impression!" She glanced over her shoulder into the street.

"So let them see! I don't care. I want everyone to know that I am the happiest man in the world. I'm alive, and I'm back with my family starting a new life!" His lips found hers and they locked together until Micah interrupted.

"You're blocking the doorway." He rolled his eyes at his parent's immature display.

"Didn't I give you an assignment?" Niki raised her eyebrow at him as she separated from her husband and stepped aside for Micah to pass by.

"Yea, yea, I'm working on it."

"What's taking so long?"

"I needed some more of the cables from the truck." Micah held up a fistful of random electrical cables. "The TV will be done in no time and then I'll move onto the telephones."

"You're the smartest little…"

"Yea, mom, I know." Micah grinned and disappeared around the corner into the living room.

"As much as I'd like to take some time to enjoy ourselves this afternoon…we don't have time to play." Niki kissed the tip of her husband's nose. "We have to unpack and then we have to talk…seriously."

"Talk?" DL sighed. "Why does that give me a bad feeling? What do we have to talk about?"

"You know what." Niki headed to the truck to continue unloading. "We have to make a plan, figure out what we're going to do now that we're living in a whole different city. We need jobs and we need to find a school for Micah…"

"Niki, don't stress so much. We've only been here for a few days! We're not even done unpacking yet. Can't we just relax and take things slow?"

"No!" Niki snapped. "We can't take things slow. We have to provide for our son. He needs to know that we've got a plan. I want this new city to be a new life…a better life for him! I don't want to have to scrounge for money between paychecks, just praying that the electricity company won't turn off our power!"

"Niki, we'll make a good life here. I promise." DL reached out to hold her. "We're special…"

"I don't want to use our abilities. We don't know enough about them. I don't know if I can trust myself…"

"But Jessica…"

"Yea, I know. Jessica's gone for now, but remember, she could come back at any time and then what?"

"We'll deal, just like always." He assured her. "But you have to have faith in us, and in yourself."

Niki nodded, fighting back the emotion she was struggling with. "I love you." She decided the simple declaration would be the easiest way to end the conversation that she didn't know how to have at that moment.

"I love you too." DL assumed she was done worrying about the future for the time being, and picked up a few of the lighter items that she would let him carry into the house.

Niki watched him head back into the apartment, but didn't follow him. She didn't know how to make him understand—DL or Micah. Neither of them knew what it was like to have an ability that scared them. Micah loved what he could do. He thought it was fun and exciting. DL's power had rescued him from jail and saved his life a couple times. It could be a violent power, but he could control it. They didn't understand what Niki was so afraid of. They didn't know what it was like to lose all conscious ability to control yourself and your decisions. They didn't know what it was like to feel trapped inside your own body.

_And they never will. _She made the decision firmly in her mind, knowing that if she was going to put her family back together and start a new life with them in the city, it would require more than just a new apartment and new jobs. She would learn to master her ability, no matter what the price, but it would never be a price made at her family's expense again.

PETER, CLAIRE, & MOLLY

NEW YORK

Peter stared up at the dark ceiling, memorizing the patterns created by the streetlamp that shone through the blinds of the large window beside him. Sleeping on the couch wasn't the most comfortable, but it wasn't bad, and he'd been managing it fine—anything to make Claire more comfortable. Molly too of course, he couldn't forget about her. Tonight he wasn't awake because of discomfort, however. He was awake because of her.

She was crying again. She'd been doing that a lot lately, and he had automatically assumed it was due to Jaden's incompetence in the boyfriend area. The way she acted when he brought it up though made him doubt his own suspicions. She wouldn't talk about it, and she even kept her thoughts quiet around him now. She'd been getting good at that. Whenever he tried to jump into her mind he found her focusing on something pointless like the wall or else she would sing a song over and over; he knew that she was doing it to keep him out. To be honest, he admired her for it. He was still worried though. Seeing her upset hurt him more than it should.

His head lifted automatically when he heard the door to the bedroom creak open and soft footsteps pad across the hardwood floor towards the balcony that opened up from the dining room. Quiet sniffles told him it was Claire. The door slid open and then closed again and he sat up quickly, determined to confront her. Maybe he'd catch her off guard and be able to read her mind.

Peter tiptoed across the living room, glancing briefly at the partly opened bedroom door where he knew Molly was still sleeping soundly; waking her from sleep was nearly impossible. At the door to the balcony he paused.

_God, she must be freezing! _Even though it was summer, the nights could get cold in the city and she was wearing nothing more than cotton pajama pants and a tank top. For a minute he considered how easy it would be to pry into her mind, but as he saw her body trembling, either with cold or sorrow, he decided against it.

"Claire…" he whispered as he slid open the door and stepped out onto the balcony with her.

She spun around quickly, her long hair blown into her face by the slight breeze. "Oh my god…I woke you up again, didn't I? I'm so sorry Peter!"

"No, it's fine, I was already up." He lied quickly. "I saw you come out here, and I heard you crying again…"

She rubbed her eyes with the palm of her hands. "Yea…it's nothing…"

"It's not nothing. You've been crying a lot lately." He sighed. "You're really hung up on this guy, aren't you? I know it's none of my business, but if he's making you so miserable, I think you could do a lot better…"

Claire gave up trying to stop her tears as they persisted to flow down her cheeks. She shook her head slowly. "It's never been about Jaden."

"What?"

"I mean, yea, I was disappointed with him breaking our dates a couple times, but I'm not crying about it. I don't really cry over guys." She smiled slightly. "My mom always told me that guys weren't worth my tears, and it's the one thing that's kind of stuck."

"So, then, why are you crying?"

Claire smiled at him. "Don't you already know? Aren't you reading my thoughts right now?"

He shrugged. "Actually, there's this new thing I'm trying, where I don't invade people's minds without their permission…"

"I'm impressed." She sniffed again. "I've just been thinking about my family."

"Oh?"

"I was so excited to stay in New York and have a chance to learn more about what I am…"

"What you are?"

"You know what I mean…"

"Yea, I do." He knew exactly what she meant because he knew exactly how she felt about her powers. One hundred percent conflicted.

"Anyway, I was so eager to be here, that I didn't consider how hard it would be to not be with them."

"I'm sorry." He hated how insincere he sounded, when really all he wanted was to make her happy. "I wish there was something I could do…"

"I know." She smiled. "And that's what I love about you."

_Love? _Peter's heart leapt, and he quickly rebuked himself. _She doesn't mean anything by it. She's my niece and that's all that she means. _

"Is something wrong?" Claire read his expression.

"No, I just don't like seeing you sad."

Without warning, she threw her arms around his neck, squeezing tightly and burying her face against his neck. "You're amazing."

Peter breathed in the slight scent of vanilla coming from the shampoo she had washed her hair with earlier that night. It was the most delicious thing he had ever smelled. _What I wouldn't give to be somebody else right now…anybody! _He slid his hands over her back, trying to soothe her, but also just wanting to hold her.

"You know, I talked to Dr. Suresh earlier today."

"Oh? How's Seattle?" Peter kept his arms firmly locked around her waist, not ready to break their close connection yet.

"Good. He says he's getting a lot of research done, but that's not why he called." She broke their connection and leaned back against the railing in order to look up at Peter. "He called to talk about you actually."

"What about?"

"He's concerned that you won't be able to control your abilities…"

"I've been practicing though! I've been getting better." He insisted.

"Not the ones you have…the new ones that you could get."

He shrugged. "We'll cross that bridge when it comes I guess."

Claire hesitated, "He has specific concerns about you being close to Molly. He recommended that we have her live with someone else."

"What? No, I don't think that's a good idea." Peter took an involuntary step back, suddenly eager to put distance between himself and Claire. "It's fine with the three of us here."

"He didn't seem to think so." Claire argued. "He's worried about you, and honestly, so am I."

Before they could argue any more, they were interrupted by Molly who was calling out desperately for Claire. With a brief glance at one another, both Peter and Claire darted back into the apartment, running into the bedroom to find Molly thrashing around beneath the sheets. Her hair clung to her sweaty face and tears streaked down her eyes, but as far as they could tell she was still asleep.

"Claire, is she okay?" Peter knelt beside the bed, reaching out to take Molly's small hand in his.

"I don't know." Claire lingered in the doorway, uncertain of how to help Molly. The girl had told her before how sometimes she felt unable to escape from her sleep; Claire wondered if this was one of those moments.

"Molly, wake up!" Peter shook her gently, but she didn't wake. "Claire, I don't like this!"

"Me either, but I don't know what to do!" Claire finally moved over to the side of the bed and bent over the girl. "Sweetheart, please wake up!"

"No! Claire!" Molly was screaming now, but clearly deep in sleep. "Peter!"

"Peter we have to make her wake up! If this nightmare keeps up…" Claire shook her head. "I don't understand it all, but I know bad things can happen…" Claire looked up when he didn't respond. "Peter?"

"I can see him…" Peter was griping his head, gasping for breath. "Oh god…he's…"

"Peter!" Claire rushed around the bed to his side and placed her hands on either side of his face. "Peter look at me. Focus on me!"

Molly let out one last scream and sat up quickly, her eyes wide open. "Claire! He found him…"

"What?" Claire only spared a brief glance on Molly, not wanting to take her eyes off Peter for a minute. "Who has who?"

"The nightmare man…he found Peter! It's what he's wanted all along and he found him tonight…I have to get away from him!" The little girl scurried out of bed and fled from the room. Claire was still focusing on Peter when she heard the front door open and close again.

"Molly?" She called out, quickly panicking. "Molly?" She stood and turned toward the doorway, but Peter grasped her hand.

"Help me…"

"I…" she turned back to him. "Molly ran out! Peter I have to go after her!"

"He can see me…" Peter's words were barely louder than a whisper and they sounded forced.

Claire was torn. Half of her knew that if she didn't go after Molly the girl would be alone on the streets of New York in the middle of the night, and only bad things could happen. But the other half of her felt that leaving Peter right now would be the worst thing she could do. She silently prayed for Molly's safety and then stooped to help Peter into bed.

"Peter, you're okay. I'm not going anywhere." She sat beside him, letting him keep holding onto her hand. "I'm here. I want to help you but you have to tell me what to do."

He didn't answer, but she noticed his eyes slowly slipping shut.

"No! Peter, don't go to sleep on me right now. You need to stay awake!" Acting instinctively, Claire slapped him hard across the face and his eyes flew open again.

"What happened?" Peter was clearly disoriented. His face had broken out in sweat and his pupils were dilated.

"I…I don't know." Claire was worried for him. The change that had come over him had been so sudden and unexpected, and so extreme. She gripped his hand tightly, trying to keep him calm. "It was weird…it was like you started seizing or something."

"What?" Peter's hand trembled slightly in Claire's grip.

"What do you remember?" Claire asked softly. "What did you see?"

"I…I don't remember."

"You said that he could see you…" Claire tried to help him remember.

"Oh god…it was the man from Molly's nightmares." Peter's mind suddenly cleared, but he looked more panicked than before. "It was like he sucked me in and wouldn't let go."

"Molly said that he had been looking for you…" Claire told him. "He finally found you…"

"I think I absorbed Molly's ability and he gave him the access that he was waiting for. He's so powerful. If he takes me again I don't know if I'll be able to pull out of it…"

"Yes you will." Claire insisted. "I'm not going to leave your side, so I'll be here to pull you out if you get stuck."

"No." Peter shook his head, pulled his hand free from Claire's grip, and started getting up. "You can't stay."

"Don't be ridiculous." Claire pushed him back down on the bed. "I'm not going anywhere. We'll have Molly stay with Niki for a while and I'll stay here to take care of you…"

"No!" Peter raised his voice.

"Peter, this is exactly what Dr. Suresh was worried about. Being around Molly is dangerous for you. She can't stay."

"Where is she?"

"I don't know actually. She ran out when she saw what happened to you."

"What? You just let her run off alone?" Peter was again trying to get out of bed. "Do you have any idea how stupid that was?"

"Stupid?" Claire pulled back. "I was trying to help you! I was scared…" She started crying. "I didn't know what was happening and I was scared that you were going to die or something!"

Peter finally seemed to notice her hysteria and decided that he had perhaps overreacted a little. "Claire, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you." He pulled her into his arms automatically. "I'm sorry I scared you, but we need to find Molly before something bad happens."

Claire shook her head. "You should stay here. I'll find her."

"You're not going out alone!" Peter was starting to stand again, and Claire once again pushed him back down onto the bed.

"I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself, and besides, I'm sort of indestructible, remember?" She moved away from the bed and started scrounging for something more appropriate to put on.

"Claire, I don't like the idea of one helpless girl going out to look for another."

"I'm not helpless." Claire reiterated. "I will find her, and then I will take her straight Niki's place, and then when I get back here we will work on taking care of you. Okay? In the meantime though, I need you to take care of yourself. Stay awake no matter what it takes."

"I will. Claire, I can take care of myself, but I really don't think you should come back."

"Are you crazy?" Claire took a pair of Peter's sweatpants from a shelf in his closet and pulled them on over her pajamas. "You are not staying alone. I'll be back as soon as I take care of Molly." Peter seemed ready to protest again, but Claire shook her head firmly. "Not another word." She grabbed her jacket off the floor, ignoring how terribly her split-second outfit clashed, and headed for the door.


	28. Secret Agenda

CLAIRE & MOLLY

NEW YORK

"Molly!" Claire started calling to her the moment she stepped outside of the apartment complex. When she couldn't immediately see the girl, Claire panicked. "Molly!" She looked up and down the street, not sure which direction to go. She finally just chose one and ran to the right, tripping in the slip-on Uggs she had stepped into before running out the door.

After a block, she still hadn't found a trace of Molly, and she was starting to doubt her earlier confidence in being able to find her at all. At the next corner, she stopped, debating turning around and heading back the other direction, but then she heard the soft sniffling of a hopelessly sad little girl.

"Molly!" Claire turned around and spotted Molly, huddled in the doorway of a closed coffee shop, but she wasn't alone. "Jaden?"

"Claire!" Jaden stood up from where he was kneeling beside the little girl. "Wow, I didn't expect to see you tonight…"

"Umm…yea, if we're going to talk about the unexpected…what the hell are you doing here?"

"I was taking a walk and I saw this girl crying all by herself…" Jaden motioned to Molly who was still sobbing quietly.

"You were taking a walk?" Claire frowned at him skeptically. "And you just happened to end up finding Molly a block away from where we live?"

"Wait? You know her?" Jaden motioned to the little girl.

"Of course. This is Molly! She lives with my cousin and me. I'm sure I've mentioned her." Claire shook her head. "Look, whatever, what are you doing here?"

"I told you I'm taking…"

"A walk, yea, I heard. You want me to believe that you just happen to be walking around by my apartment at three o'clock in the morning?"

"Claire, I didn't even remember that this was your street. Honestly. I've got an hour break from my night shift at the hospital. Instead of taking a nap like some of the other interns, I like taking a brisk walk to keep up my energy!" He insisted. "I ran across this little girl crying…and I was worried!"

Claire took a minute to make up her mind. She still thought it was weird that Jaden just happened to show up there, but she had to admit that she was thankful he had found Molly and not some creep off from the streets.

"Thank you for staying with her." Claire said finally. "Things got a little crazy…" She stopped, deciding that this wasn't the moment to get into the dramas of home life. "Molly, I have been looking everywhere for you!"

"You shouldn't have come after me." Molly insisted, lifting her watery eyes up to Claire. "It's not safe to be around me."

Claire glanced up at Jaden, wondering what could possibly be going through his mind about this whole situation. "I was worried about you." She knelt beside Molly. "You shouldn't have run out like that. You could have gotten really hurt!"

"I'm fine."

"Luckily," Claire pointed out. "If Jaden hadn't come along when he did, who knows what could have happened to you!"

"I don't care." Molly mumbled through her sobs.

"Molly, please listen to me. What happened tonight wasn't your fault." Claire placed her mouth close to Molly's ear and whispered so Jaden wouldn't hear. "Peter is going to be fine. I promise."

"I can't go back. You can't take me back there." Molly begged, wrapping her arms around Claire's neck, clinging tightly.

"It's okay sweetie," Claire rubbed Molly's back soothingly. "I'm going to take you to stay with Niki and Micah for a while, so I can help Peter."

Molly shook her head. "I shouldn't be around anyone…"

"Molly, you aren't dangerous to everyone. Peter's special. You know that." Claire used the sleeve of her sweatshirt to dry off Molly's tears. "You will be safe with Niki, and they'll be safe from you. I promise."

"Is she okay?" Jaden asked, kneeling down beside Claire and peering at the little girl curiously. "Is there something I can do?"

"No." Claire responded a little too quickly. "I appreciate your concern, but this is kind of a personal thing."

Jaden frowned and stood again. "Are you sure? You know, it's not really safe out here for a couple of girls…"

"We'll be fine," Claire assured him. He didn't look convinced though. "Actually, could you try to flag us down a cab? I know it's kind of dead right now, but…" Claire glanced towards the street; there wasn't a yellow car in sight.

"A cab? Don't you just live around the corner?"

"I thought you didn't remember that I lived around here," Claire reminded him quickly.

"You're not exactly dressed for a long outing. I had to assume…" He corrected himself even more quickly.

"Right, well, yea, my uncle's apartment is two blocks that way, but I'm actually taking Molly somewhere else for the time being." Claire gave him the most winning smile she could muster. "Could you get us a cab, please?"

"Of course." Jaden walked into the street, scouting out potential transportation for Claire and Molly.

"Molly, I need you to listen to me for a minute." Claire placed her hands on either side of Molly's face. "You are one of the best kids in the world. You are not a bad person. You're not going to hurt anyone, okay? I know these nightmares are scaring you right now, but we're going to figure it out and make it better. I promise."

"You don't know if you can do that." Molly was still crying, but it had calmed a little.

"I know, but I can try," Claire assured her.

"Claire, cab…" Jaden called out to catch her attention as the cab he flagged down stopped beside the curb,

"Molly, come on. Please. I need you to cooperate with me." Claire stood, holding her hand out to Molly who reluctantly took it and allowed Claire to pull her up.

"I still don't think I should…"

"Molly, I don't want to hear you talking like that anymore," Claire reprimanded.

"You ask and I provide." Jaden held the back door of the cab open for Claire and Molly.

"Thanks Jaden," Claire ushered the girl in first. "I know this all must seem really weird to you, but I appreciate you not asking any questions."

Jaden smiled. "I hope you know that you'll be making it all up to me at dinner tomorrow night."

"Really?" Claire smiled a little. "Dinner?"

He nodded. "I'll call you."

"Okay," Claire slid into the cab and he shut the door, waving as the driver pulled away from the curb.

Jaden watched the car disappear around the corner before pulling out his cell phone to make the call that he was dreading. It rang only once before he heard his boss's familiar voice answer.

"Well?"

"I'm sorry, but I failed."

"You failed?"

Jaden sighed. "I went to the spot that you said the moment I got your call, and I found the girl just as you said I would."

"So then, what's the problem?"

"I was only there for a minute before Claire showed up."

"Claire? As in Claire Bennett?"

"Yes Sir."

"That was very sloppy of you."

"I gave her an excuse, and she bought it, but obviously taking the girl after that was impossible." Jaden explained. "And even worse, Molly won't be returning to stay with Claire and her uncle. Claire got in a cab with her; they're going somewhere else."

"Please tell me you were able to acquire the new location?"

"No, Sir."

Silence greeted Jaden's ear. He knew silence was a bad sign.

"I am very disappointed in your performance tonight."

"I can make it up," Jaden said. "Tomorrow night I asked Claire out for dinner. She trusts me. I'll get her to tell me where she took Molly Walker."

"Don't fail me again."

MOHINDER, ADAM, MADELINE

SEATTLE

"Ow! No! Please, no more…" Adam hollered in pain.

"Adam, I am sorry, but this is necessary to see how advanced the virus is in your body." Mohinder apologized sincerely as he adjusted the morphine drip connected to the IV in Adam's arm. "Please, just try once more." He held his hand behind his back. "What am I holding in my hand?"

Adam squinted, focusing hard on Mohinder, trying to see through him. After a minute he gave up, again screaming in agony as his head erupted in unbearable pain. "I can't do it anymore."

"Mohinder! What's going on?"

Mohinder turned as Madeline pushed open the door and stepped in—terror showed clearly in her face.

"I'm sorry Madeline, but I have to test him." Mohinder apologized meekly. "He's doing well though…much better than earlier."

"He's in pain!" Madeline protested, rushing to her brother's side and taking his hand.

"I'm sorry." Mohinder said again. "Perhaps we have done enough for today, Adam."

"Just rest now, Adam." Madeline brushed her hand across her brother's forehead. "We'll be back to check on you in a little while."

Adam nodded feebly, and turned his head to the side, ready to end the conversation with his sister or doctor.

Madeline glanced at Mohinder and then at her brother. She let out a short breath of frustration, clenched her lip between her teeth and shook her head. "Ready to go?"

Mohinder nodded and grabbed his jacket off a chair, following Madeline out of the room. "So, where did we decide to go?"

"I'm not picky. There's supposed to be some great seafood down at the pier." Madeline shrugged. "Do you like seafood?"

"Sure, seafood sounds perfect," Mohinder decided. He placed his hand on her back, directing her towards the front exit of the hospital. "I know we agreed that we wouldn't talk about your brother on our first official date, but I just want to ease your mind. He may have sounded like he was in a lot pain a moment ago, but most of it was just his head. He's can't access his ability because of the virus, and it makes his head hurt to try. Honestly, the virus isn't as advance as it could be though."

"Thanks," Madeline smiled. "I know you genuinely care about helping him get better, which is one reason I was so willing to agree to this date. You aren't like other doctors, Mohinder. I think you're a really great guy."

"It's all an act I'm putting on, just to get you to go out with me."

She laughed. "You're not a good liar, and I'm pretty sure that you're not any better at acting."

"You hardly know me."

"I've seen you every day for two weeks straight! I think I know you pretty well." She winked at him. "I've been watching you, without you knowing it."

"I'm sorry to tell you, but you're not very good at being sneaky. I've noticed you observing me when you think I'm busy with your brother." Mohinder admitted. He noticed her blush and quickly comforted her. "I don't mind though."

Her calm smile returned and she slipped her hand into the crevice of his elbow. "So, are we walking to the pier?"

"It's not far," Mohinder commented pointing down the street towards the water that could be seen peeking out over the tops of the buildings that cluttered downtown Seattle. "It might take a little longer though, do you mind?"

"Not at all. It will give us more time to really get to know each other."

Mohinder's phone chirped and he pulled it from the pocket of his jacket, glancing at the caller ID with a sigh. "I'm sorry, but I have to take this. I'll be quick, I promise."

"Mohinder! It's bad manners to answer a phone call on a first date," Madeline protested.

"I know, but this call is from New York, so it must be important or they wouldn't be calling so late." He flipped open his phone. "Hello?"

"_Mohinder…I'm sorry to bother you…I don't know who else to call…something happened tonight…" _

"Peter? What's wrong? Is it Molly?"

"_Molly's fine. She's with Claire." _

"With Claire? Aren't they with you?"

"_No…Molly ran out and Claire went to find her." _

"Ran out? It's the middle of the night Peter! What aren't you telling me?" Mohinder had pulled away from Madeline to give his full attention to the phone call. She sensed the dramatic urgency, and let him have a moment alone.

"_I absorbed her ability." _

Mohinder could hear Peter breathing heavily on the other end of the phone and he knew that he was still suffering the aftermath of the toll Molly's power took on Peter. "Is this the first time?"

"_Yes. Claire told me that you were worried about it…"_

"Yes, I have been. I'm assuming it wasn't a pleasant experience."

"_Good guess." _

"May I ask what happened exactly?"

"_Claire and I were outside and we heard Molly calling for us and when we got in to her room she was stuck in another nightmare. I can't remember exactly, but all of a sudden I felt like I was somewhere else. It felt so real…but everything that I saw was so horrible…" _Peter fell silent again. Mohinder thought it best not to push him back into the bad memories.

"How did you come out of it?"

"_Claire brought me out. I don't know how…I think she slapped me." _Peter laughed a little.

"Peter, I have to be honest with you. I have been very concerned about you acquiring Molly's abilities because of everything else you can do. If what Claire has told me about Molly's nightmares is true and people are getting hurt, I couldn't imagine how much worse it could be if this nightmare man started using you."

"_I know." _Peter agreed. _"I'm calling you because I don't know what to do. Claire's taking Molly to stay somewhere else, but I don't think Claire should come back either. I'm not safe for her to be around." _

"Claire is fairly capable of taking care of herself."

"_I don't care how indestructible she is, she can still die." _Peter sighed. _"I'm not going to be the one to make it happen." _

"You're not safe for yourself either, Peter." Mohinder told him. "I don't think it's wise for you to be alone. Claire may be the only one who can protect you, or any others. Truthfully, my advice would be to keep her close. If she ever sees you falling into a nightmare she can wake you up from it." Peter's silence told Mohinder that he wasn't pleased. "I'm sorry if that's not what you wanted to hear, but I think it would be best for the time being."

"_You're just giving your opinion. That doesn't mean I have to agree." _

"I hope you do though," Mohinder said. He glanced at Madeline who was starting to shift impatiently as she gazed into the window of independent an art gallery. "I have to go now. Call me with any new developments."

"_Goodbye." _

Mohinder hung up and returned his phone to his pocket. "I'm terribly sorry about that."

"It's fine. Is everything all right back in New York?" Madeline asked. "I wasn't trying to eavesdrop, but I heard you mention Molly. That's the little girl who's sick like Adam, right? Is she okay?"

"She's fine," Mohinder assured her. "There are just some things that I wish I could prevent, but I can only do so much." He held his arm out to her again and she returned her hand to its place. "So, dinner?"


	29. Complicated Emotions

_A/N: A dozen hugs and kisses to all my lovely reviewers! I adore you all. Thanks so much and I hope I can keep on entertaining you and intriguing you with this story! In return, you can keep on delighting me with your reviews! _

NIKI, DL, MICAH, CLAIRE & MOLLY

NEW YORK

"Did you hear something?" Niki nudged her husband's arm.

"No…" DL moaned. "I was sleeping."

"I thought I heard something," Niki insisted. She sat up in bed, listening intently for any unusual noises.

"Maybe Micah's up."

Niki glanced at the red numbers on the digital clock beside the bed. "It's three thirty! What would Micah be doing up?" She swung her legs out of bed.

"You're paranoid," DL told her. He rolled over, stealing her abandoned pillow for himself.

"I have reason to be." Niki reminded him. "Living in Vegas with a mob checking in every other day hasn't exactly made me very calm. And in case you forgot, our son was kidnapped a couple weeks ago."

"No one's after us anymore Niki." DL sighed, finally giving up on sleeping when he realized that Niki was already moving towards the door of their bedroom.

"Ouch!"

DL pried open his eyes when he heard her run into one of the still unpacked boxes that were stacked around the room. "You should just come back to bed before you hurt yourself."

"I swear I heard something." She picked her way around the room more carefully until she reached the door. "Stay here, I'll check it out."

"Okay, right…" DL rolled his eyes, frustrated with his wife's stubborn persistence, but he wasn't about to let her go and investigate a strange noise all by herself. If it was something serious, she would never let him hear the end of it.

By the time he had pulled himself out of bed and made his way across the cluttered floor, he found Niki already standing by the front door of the apartment. He crossed the living room just as she pulled open the door—a slight gasp indicated her surprise.

"Claire? Molly?"

The younger blonde looked up at Niki with an apologetic smile. "I know it's ridiculously late! I'm so sorry to wake you up, but we didn't know where else to go…"

DL had reached his wife, but when he realized who was at the door, he quickly retreated to the bedroom to pull on sweatpants over his boxers.

Niki glanced over the girls' heads and noticed the cab waiting at the curb. "Come in." She stepped back and allowed the girls to enter; Claire was nearly dragging Molly. "Where's Peter?"

"At home." Claire answered briefly. "I need to get back to him as soon as possible."

Niki flipped on the living room overhead lights and motioned to the couch. "Sorry about the mess…just go ahead and shove things out of the way."

Claire moved a box from the couch and urged Molly to sit down. "I know this is probably like the worst timing possible…you guys are just moving in and everything, but I was wondering if Molly could stay with you for a while."

"Stay with us?" Niki glanced around the room as if evaluating the size of their apartment.

"She isn't any trouble!" Claire assured Niki. "It's just that something's come up and I don't think it's a good idea for her to stay around Peter right now…" She glanced at Molly who seemed to be doing her best not to make eye contact. "If Mohinder wasn't in Seattle, I know he'd take her, but…"

"It's fine," Niki decided quickly. "She can stay here for a while. Can I ask what's going on with Peter though? Why don't you want him around her?"

Claire glanced at Molly again. "Sweetie, please stay right there okay? We'll be right back." She waited for Molly to nod before directing Niki into the bedroom where DL was now dressed and waiting for them. "Molly has nightmares."

"All little kids do," Niki said.

"Not normal nightmares," Claire started to explain. "They are because of her ability. There is a man who finds her when she sleeps…she calls him the nightmare man. He's horrible and he makes her see awful things that he does to people. She thinks that he uses her ability to find them and hurt them."

"What?"

"I'm not sure if that's really how it works, but it's what Molly believes. Anyway, sometimes this man won't let her out of her nightmares. She gets stuck and she'll scream and cry trying to get out. If that happens, you have to be there for her. You have to try to talk her out of it, sometimes even shake her until she wakes up. Mainly, just be there to comfort her the moment she wakes up, though." Claire paused to let them process it all.

"What does this have to do with Peter?" Niki asked.

"Tonight he absorbed her ability for the first time. It was terrible. I've never seen it affect Molly like it affected Peter. When she woke up she told me that the nightmare man had been waiting for her to bring Peter to him." Claire shivered at the memory. "Mohinder thinks it would be best if they weren't near each other for a while; not until Peter can get this ability under control like the others."

"Will he be okay?"

"I hope so," Claire said. "That's why I need to stay with him. If I hadn't been there tonight I don't know if he would have woken up at all."

"You should go then. He needs you." Niki led the others back into the living room where Molly had now curled herself up into a ball in the corner of the couch.

"Sweetie, I have to go now…" Claire kneeled beside her.

"You promised." Molly flung her arms around Claire's neck and held tightly. "You promised to take care of me. How am I going to wake up if you're not there with me?"

"Niki is going to take care of you." Claire felt tears burning in her eyes. She hated to disappoint Molly. "Peter needs me right now. You're going to be okay here. You're strong. I know you are."

Molly's eyes were watering, but she seemed determined not to cry. "I still don't think I should stay here."

"Molly, you can't be alone. You're too young and the world is too dangerous. Until Mohinder returns or I help Peter get this under control, I need you to be a big girl and stay here with Niki and Micah. You like them. It will be fun…"

"It won't be safe."

"Molly, listen to me." Claire took her hands and held them tightly. "You are not dangerous to us. Peter is only hurting because he can do what you can do. You're not going to hurt anyone else." Claire brought Molly's small hands to her own lips and kissed them softly. "Molly, I need you to know how much I care about you."

"I know," Molly sighed. "You need to take care of Peter now." She hugged Claire's neck once more. "I'll be fine."

"I know you will," Claire planted a kiss in Molly's hair and stood up. "Okay, I'm out of here. Thanks again for taking her."

Niki nodded, walking Claire back to the front door. "I hope everything works out with Peter."

"Yea, me too." Claire smiled sadly and headed back out to the still waiting cab.

SYLAR & EMILY

LONDON

"Tell me more about you."

Emily smiled, adoring the attention she was receiving from her idealized artist from New York. "Really? You want to know more about me? Haven't you heard enough about me? What about you?"

Sylar gave her one of his practiced smiles and tilted his head to the side. "You know all you need to know about me. I paint and I crossed an ocean to come and see you."

"You really are a charmer, aren't you?" Emily let her hand rest on the table; her bright green eyes connected with his deep brown ones.

"Are you complaining?" Sylar inquired; his hand inched across the table until his fingers were nudging hers.

"Do I sound like I'm complaining?"

"I just wanted to make sure. I can never be too sure with that accent of yours." He slipped his hand beneath hers until their fingers entwined. "So, tomorrow I need to get in some painting, so as much as I wanted you to spend the day showing me around town…"

"Can I watch you paint?" Emily asked with an intrigued smile, rubbing her thumb over Sylar's hand. "Please, Isaac? I would love to watch you work."

Sylar shook his head. "I've told you before that I have to paint alone."

"Please?"

"Not tomorrow. I haven't had a chance to paint in a long time, but maybe another time." He lifted her hand to his lips, brushing them gently. "I promise to make it up to you though."

Emily nodded. "How can I argue? You have given me two of the best weeks I've had…in a long time…"

"They have been good, haven't they?" Sylar leaned further across the table and Emily met him halfway—their lips meshed together.

"All right, you can have your alone time tomorrow. I'll be at the gallery if you find yourself at all lonely during the night."

"So, we were going to learn more about you, weren't we?" Sylar restarted the earlier conversation. "Let's start with your childhood."

"My childhood? Hardly a thrilling story."

"Why don't you let me be the judge?"

"Okay, I'll make it quick. I was born here in London. My parents died in a car accident when I was seven. I went to live with an aunt in Wales until I went away to Uni, which is when I returned to London."

"And how'd you get into the art gallery business?"

"Art is my passion. I wish I could paint better myself, but I suppose that's why I immersed myself in the gallery. I was able to enjoy the paintings of others." Emily smiled. "The day I came across yours for the first time changed my life."

Sylar tried not to show a reaction in his face. "I'm glad I contributed to making you happy."

"And it hasn't stopped yet." She offered him her lips again for a second kiss and he gave it to her easily.

"What about past relationships?"

"Are you seriously going to ask me that?" She settled back in her chair after breaking the kiss. "I've told you there isn't anyone else right now. That will have to satisfy you." Emily laughed. "I'm not going to go into all the sordid details of my exes."

"Fair enough," Sylar accepted her answer without complaint. He wasn't actually interested in her other boyfriends. He just needed to learn everything he could so he could confirm his boss's suspicions.

"Oh my, I didn't realize how late it was." Emily exclaimed with a glance at the wall clock at the far side of the café. "I should be getting home."

Sylar stood with her and dropped a few bills on the table to cover their check. "I'll walk you."

"It's only around the corner."

"A lot could happen in only a few feet. I don't want you to run into trouble." He escorted her out of the restaurant with his arm around her waist.

"And what exactly would you be able to do if someone did attack me?" Emily teased.

Sylar smiled to himself. "I have talents you couldn't imagine."

Emily analyzed his expression, considering him for a moment and then her face broke into a smile. "You are such a laugh, Isaac. You're always teasing me."

Sylar slid his arm further around her thin waist so that she was drawn in closer to him. "You're very easy to tease." He listened intently, enjoying how her heart raced as his lips tickled her cheek.

"All right…" She pulled away from him when they reached the door to the flat she lived in above her gallery. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." He stood still as she unlocked the door.

She started to enter, but stopped, turned back and captured his lips with hers. The kiss lasted for a full minute before she pulled away, giggling like a schoolgirl, and disappeared through the door. As he walked away from her street, Sylar pulled out his cell phone for his required check-in call.

"Mr. Okenberg, I'm just checking in."

"_I've been waiting for your call. Do you have proof yet?" _

"No Sir. I haven't been able to learn anything unusual about Miss Banks."

"_Nothing? Are you sure?" _

"Yes, I need more time."

"_You've been with her for two weeks. I've been waiting for you to return. I have other assignments for you." _

"I thought Miss Banks was your priority."

"_She is, but there are many priorities. You haven't forgotten your assignments have you?"_ Mr. Okenberg's voice was harsh.

"I haven't forgotten," Sylar snapped back.

"Good, then tomorrow I will need you in Rome. There is a young man there who has been seen using his powers."

"Will I be bringing him in?"

"No. This one has become too great a risk. You may dispose of him as you wish."

"Fine. I'll take care of it."

CLAIRE & PETER

NEW YORK

"I don't know how I'm going to take care of you if you won't let me close to you when you're struggling." Claire set the mug she was holding down a little harder than she meant to. Her eyes glanced up at Peter, hoping he hadn't noticed—he had.

"Claire, I don't want you mixed up in this," Peter shifted his position on the couch.

"And I've told you that I don't care what you want. I care about what you need." Claire poured boiling water from the teapot into the mug she had already slipped a teabag into. "And right now you need me to look after you." She brought the mug over to the couch and placed it on a coaster on the coffee table to cool. Since he refused to cooperate, it took all her strength to lift his head so she could slide in to sit on the couch; once she was seated she settled his head back on her lap.

"Claire…" Peter pulled away from her, trying to sit up, but she held him in place.

"Stop fussing," she commanded. "I know you have this need to be independent or whatever, but I need you to let me take care of you."

"I don't think it's a good idea." Peter persisted. _You don't know what it's like._ He wished he could give her a logical reason, but without telling her how he was feeling…how he loved the way she was running her fingers through his hair, or how content he would be to lie there with her for the rest of his life…_she can't stay here alone with me. I can't handle it._ Before he had a chance to protest again, Joan Jett's "Cherry Bomb" sounded from Claire's cell phone across the room.

She debated ignoring it briefly, but gave in. "It might be important."

Peter sat up readily to let her slide out. She frolicked across the living room and retrieved her phone from where it was stashed in her purse. "Hello?"

Peter waited, curiously, for her to announce the caller. When she turned her back to him and lowered her voice a little, he wished she hadn't answered it.

"Hey…I was hoping you'd call." She paused, clearly listening to the caller. "I just wanted to apologize again for how strange everything was last night with Molly…it's hard to explain, but things are just weird right now."

Peter dropped his head back on the couch, knowing exactly whom Claire was talking to. He could tell by the tone of her voice. It was softer than usual, a little bubblier as well. It was the voice she got when she was talking to Jaden…or about Jaden…or even if she was just thinking about Jaden. _This is ridiculous. I'm jealous. I'm not supposed to be jealous! She's my niece. I should be encouraging her…_he smirked—he would never be able to encourage her into a relationship.

"Tonight?"

Peter tried to ignore the fact that Claire was undoubtedly setting up a date. He stared resolutely at the ceiling.

"Umm…I don't know…" she hesitated. Peter's only consolation was that he knew she was only fighting the urge to say 'yes' to Jaden because she was concerned about Peter. "I know, but I have other things…what about tomorrow?" she giggled and Peter knew he was losing the priority competition. "Okay…yea…no I'm sure…yes…I'll be ready…goodnight…" she giggled again. "Sweet dreams to you too." She hung up the phone and slipped it back into her purse before turning back to Peter; he pretended not to notice that she had even gotten off the phone. When she had returned to the couch and perched on the edge of the coffee table, leaning over him, he was unable to ignore her any longer.

"Anything important?"

Claire couldn't keep from smiling. "Will you be okay alone for a couple hours tomorrow night?"

Peter fought his desire to say 'no' just to see if she would cancel her date. Considering that he was trying to convince her that he didn't need her to live with him though, he simply shook his head. "I don't need you to take care of me Claire. I'll be fine."

Her smile widened; he didn't think it was possible. "Good, because I have a date with Jaden. I promise not to stay out too long though. You don't have to worry. I'll be home in plenty of time for you to go to sleep."

"God, you make me feel like I'm two years old again."

Claire pulled back a little at the sharpness to his tone. "I'm sorry."

He realized he was unnecessarily harsh. "No, I'm sorry Claire. I didn't mean to snap at you. You're being incredible…really…I do appreciate it…I just don't feel right making you baby-sit me, when quite honestly I could be dangerous to you!"

"I can take it," she assured him.

"That's just it. I know you can, but I don't want you to have to."

"Let's just wait and see how it goes." Claire handed him the mug of tea, which had cooled down considerably. "You might not even have the nightmares now that Molly's gone. You didn't have any last night, right?"

"You're right," he took the tea from her. "I want you to sleep in the bed though. I feel bad enough without you taking the couch."

"Not a chance."

"God, your dad would kill me if he knew how badly I was taking care of you. I'm supposed to be protecting you, remember? Not the other way around." Peter took a sip of the tea. _I don't even want to think about what he would do if he knew the thoughts I was having about you…_

"Luckily for us, my dad's thousands of miles away." She took the mug from him and stood, motioning for him to do the same. "It's time for you to relocate to bed. I need my beauty sleep for my date tomorrow!"

_Right, the date. _Peter stood obligingly and let her lead him into the bedroom. "Just for the record though, you don't need any beauty sleep, Claire."

She gave him the briefest of smiles—the kind she usually reserved for Jaden—and his heart soared. The next instant it had been replaced with a teasing glint in her beautiful green eyes and she poked him in the stomach. "You on the other hand could definitely use some beauty rest. You've been looking pretty crappy lately."

"Thanks," Peter's heart settled back down to where it should be.


	30. Dissapointment

_A/N: Okay, so I wasn't going to post this yet, but after tonight's episode, I am totally freaking out and I have to share! Adam Monroe. That was my name. I created that name weeks ago to be Mohinder's patient in Seattle! I had no freakin' idea that it was going to be an actual character from the show. I created it purely from my imagination. Monroe was the city my dad was working in that day and my roommate was talking about Adam Brody. The moment I saw the name on the file in the episode today I wanted to scream. Okay…I'm trying to calm down now, but somebody sympathize with me. It's weird right? So, I guess now I'm going to have to add a disclaimer every time I use him. Adam Monroe was a character that I created and is in no way affiliated with the actually Adam Monroe from "Heroes". Pure, freaky coincidence…super freaky. If the character in the show has dark hair and x-ray vision I'm writing to the director. _

NIKI, MICAH, MOLLY

NEW YORK

"Mom, something's up with molly."

Niki glanced up at the sound of her son's voice. "I'm sorry sweetie, did you say something?"

Micah's eyebrows peaked; he contemplated his mom's aloofness, but let it go for the moment. "I think something's up with Molly."

Niki shrugged, "What makes you say so?"

"She's sitting in a corner of the living room…I think she's crying."

Niki stood instantly. "Where?"

"Behind the couch," Micah told her as she rushed from the bedroom in search of Molly. Niki spotted her huddled in a corner, just as Micah had told her. The girl's face was hidden in her arms and she was definitely crying.

"Molly?" Niki knelt beside her, not quite sure how to respond. "Are you okay?"

"He's mad at me…he can't find Peter anymore and he thinks it's my fault…" Molly cried harder.

"Sweetie, I don't know what you're talking about?" Niki reached out to touch caress Molly's hair, but did so hesitantly.

"I have to warn him…"

"Molly, Claire told me that she's taking care of Peter. I'm sure he's fine."

The girl lifted her head, showing Niki her tear-filled eyes. "No…he won't be."

"Okay, here's what we'll do," Niki stood and lifted Molly to her feet as well. "We're going to call Claire to check in, and then we're going out for ice cream, because you have been cooped up in this house too long missy." Niki looked over her shoulder to locate her son. He was lurking in the doorway. "Micah, can you get my purse and keys for me? We're going to take Molly out."

Molly seemed hesitant to agree, but since she was a guest in Niki's home and she didn't want her to worry, she agreed to go along.

"Come with me…" Niki took Molly by the hand and led her into the kitchen where the phone was located on the counter. "Do you know Claire's number?"

Molly nodded and punched in the numbers while Niki kept the receiver, listening to it ring and waiting for Claire to answer.

"_Hello?" _

"Claire, hey, it's Niki."

"_Hi! I'm sorry I haven't called you much. Things have been a little crazy here with Peter." _Claire sighed. _"I haven't had much free time, but how's Molly?"_

"Actually, that's why I'm calling," Niki told her. "She's not doing so well. I'm trying to take care of her, but I don't know what to do for her."

"_Did she have another bad dream?" _

"I think so. She was saying something about someone being mad at her because he can't find Peter…"

"_Oh god..." _

"Claire, what's wrong? I don't understand what's going on."

"_I know it's confusing Niki, and I really appreciate that you so readily agreed to take care of her…" _Claire let out a slight squeak and Niki heard a noise that sounded like the phone dropping on the ground. A moment later Claire was speaking again, though a little out of breath. "_Sorry…I'm a little scattered right now. I'm running late for my date."_

"Date? I didn't realize…sorry to hold you up!" Niki apologized instantly.

"_No, I'm glad you called,"_ Claire assured her. _"I want to know everything that goes on with her, so please do keep me updated." _

"I will," Niki knew Claire was eager to get back to prepping for her date, but she needed to talk to know more. "Claire, what do I do with her? How do I keep her calm?"

"_Just let her know that you're there for her." _Claire answered. _"Comfort her, soothe her when she wakes up from her nightmares. Other than that, I don't think there really is anything we can do for her." _

"Okay, well, thanks for talking…" Niki was distracted by Molly who was trying to pull the phone out of her hand. "Oh, Molly wants to talk to you really fast."

"_Sure, put her on." _

"Here, Molly, but don't keep her too long, she's got a date."

Molly took the phone, gripping it tightly. "You have a date? What about Peter? Is he okay? I thought you were going to be taking care of him?"

"_I am taking care of him, sweetheart. He's fine, I'm just going out for a couple hours to have dinner with Jaden…" _Claire tried to explain in a way that the girl would understand. _"Peter's fine…" _

"I don't trust him," Molly confessed suddenly.

"_Peter? I thought you really like Peter." _

"Not Peter. Jaden. I don't trust him," Molly corrected. "There was just something strange about him. I don't really trust him."

"_Okay…well…you don't really know him like I do Molly." _Claire appreciated Molly's concern, but she was only a child. What did she know about relationships? _"He's a good guy. Really. I'm sure you'd like him if you gave him a chance." _

"If you say so," Molly didn't sound convinced, but she had more important things on her mind. "Please don't leave Peter alone for too long. I didn't think it's safe for him."

"_Don't worry sweetheart, I'll only be gone for a couple hours, and I'm making sure Peter's had plenty of caffeine, so he won't fall asleep when I'm not home." _

"Okay…"

"_I'm sorry Molly, but I really need to go now. Please promise me that you'll trust Niki. I want to bring you home as soon as possible, but in the meantime you need to let Niki fill in." _Claire told her.

"I know. I will."

"_Good girl. Goodbye now! Say goodbye to Niki for me." _

"Goodbye," Molly mumbled into the phone, a little disappointed with how the conversation turned out. She didn't know what she had been expecting, but somehow Claire always seemed to be able to comfort her; this time she failed though.

"So, ice cream?" Niki suggested again as Micah brought her the purse she had requested.

"Sure, ice cream sounds great." Molly did her best to fake a smile. Niki was doing her best, after all. Not wanting to bring down the day with her nightmares, Molly simply tried to ignore the pain in her head and the leftover terror of what she had seen.

JADEN & CLAIRE

NEW YORK

"So, there's still something I just don't get."

The night had been blissful. Claire couldn't think of any other word that would describe it more accurately. Everything had gone exactly as she would have wanted it. He hadn't asked her any awkward questions, he hadn't taken any calls from work, and over all he had seemed completely focused on her. For some reason though, when he stated this sentence, her insides tensed.

"What's that?" She asked anyway, hoping he would only be thinking about something trivial that had happened at dinner or the movie they had seen afterwards—during which he had made the bold move of holding her hand. She hadn't protested.

"It just seems weird to me that you live with your uncle…"

Claire hoped he didn't notice the twitch in her eye. "Really?" She tried to play dumb.

"Yea, I mean, you mentioned that your dad lived here in the city, but you live with your uncle. He doesn't seem to be much older than you. Isn't it kind of weird? Like, doesn't he ever bring dates home?"

"I know it's a little unusual," Claire thought fast, "but really it's not that weird. We get along really well, better than my dad and me actually. I told you before that I sort of just discovered my dad, and he has this whole other family…I haven't even met his sons yet…for the time being it's just easier to live with Peter."

Jaden clearly wasn't convinced. "Seriously? It's weird Claire. I mean, what if I wanted to come up…he'd freak out!"

"You want to come up?" Claire picked up on the important part of Jaden's ranting.

"No," he quickly corrected himself. "Well maybe, sure, but it's not like it matters because he'd never be okay with it."

Claire smiled. "Trust me, he's not like other uncles. I mean, he's only known me for a couple months, so he's not as protective as you might think." She considered what she was saying for a minute and knew she was wrong. At times Peter seemed to be more protective of her than either of her dads. "It doesn't matter anyway, he doesn't have a say in my relationships."

"So, if I wanted to come up tonight…" Jaden glanced towards the doorway that led into the lobby of Peter's apartment complex.

Claire winced. _If only it were another time. _"I'm sorry Jaden, but tonight really wouldn't be a good idea. Peter's not feeling well."

"Oh, okay, right…" Jaden sighed.

"Are you upset?"

"No," He smiled a little. "Maybe a little. Upset's not the right word. Just confused."

"About what?"

"You. Us." He expanded. "We've gone on a dozen dates Claire, and I still don't know what to think of our relationship, or if we even have one."

"I know it's confusing, but I'm sort of in a confusing place in my life right now…"

"I've heard all your excuses before Claire," he cut her off. "I'm not interested in stories. I just wish you would trust me enough to tell me what's going on and how I fit in."

"I don't know what to say…"

"Well let's start with something simple. Tell me about the other night. What was going on with Molly? Why didn't she go home with you? Where did you take her?" Jaden pried.

Claire glanced around the street. The sidewalks were thinning out in the progressing nighttime, but a few late stragglers still wandered, seeking exciting Manhattan nightlife. "It's a long story."

"I have time," he assured her.

She hesitated, not sure how to talk herself out of talking this time. "I just don't know what I can tell you."

"Don't you trust me, Claire?"

"Yes…" She wished her voice hadn't sounded so shaky.

"No you don't," he shook his head. "I don't know how you expect to have any sort of relationship if you can't even trust me."

"Give me a break, Jaden. I have reason to be cautious in relationships," she defended herself angrily. "You don't know what I've been through."

"Because you won't tell me!" He pointed out. "I want to know, but you're so careful to hide everything about your past from me."

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to hide it, you just wouldn't understand…"

"Try me." He stood in front of her with his hands firmly planted on his waist and his eyes boring into her.

_I can't tell him. _If there was anything Claire had learned from her past few weeks, it as that nobody could be trusted until they proved themselves. "I'm sorry Jaden, but I just don't think I'm ready to talk about it."

"Maybe you're just not ready for a relationship," Jaden snapped. Without waiting for her to respond, he turned and started down the sidewalk, leaving her alone in front of her apartment.

Claire wasn't ready to lose him. Her dates with Jaden seemed to be the only thing she looked forward to anymore. "Jaden, wait!" She ran after him, the stiletto heals of her sandals clicked against the pebbled sidewalk.

"What?" He stopped before turning the corner and waited for her to catch up.

She didn't say anything, because she had no idea what she would say to him yet. Instead she tried solving their problems another way. When she reached him, Claire lifted herself onto her tiptoes, wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, and pressed her lips against his. It was clear by his delayed response that she took him by surprise—it was their first kiss. He made up for his moment's hesitation though, by quickly securing his arms around her waist and eagerly responding to her lips with his own. Claire had to break the kiss after a few moments. She had never kissed anyone like that before. The intensity and the passion that Jaden contributed to the kiss caught her off guard.

"Was that too much?" He seemed to sense her discomfort.

"No…it was…incredible." She smiled up at him, still holding her arms around his neck. "Really incredible."

"Yea, it was." He agreed and started to lean in for a follow-up kiss.

"Umm…maybe that's enough though for tonight." Claire pulled her head back before their lips had a chance to connect again. "I just wanted to assure you that I am ready for this relationship. I just need you to be patient with me to talk. You don't know have to know everything about me up front, do you?"

"No, I guess not." He still had his arms around her waist. "Can I take you out tomorrow night?"

"Yes you can," Claire agreed.

"Good. I'll see you tomorrow then." He released her slowly, somewhat reluctantly.

"Goodnight," she turned away from him and hurried back down the sidewalk to her apartment.


	31. Tender & Terrifying Nights

MOHINDER & MADELINE

SEATTLE

"I know you told me that you needed to focus on your research, but I can't help it…I need a distraction."

Mohinder couldn't think of a response and so instead just stared at Madeline who was standing in the doorway of the studio apartment he had leased a block away from the hospital.

Her round blue eyes gazed at him expectantly. "Well?"

"I'm sorry…" he faltered for the right words. "I'm not sure what to say."

Madeline's smile flickered briefly. "Just a hint, I don't really care what you say as long as you say something. I'm feeling a little embarrassed right now and your silence is not helping."

"Did you want something particular, Madeline?"

She blushed, "Okay, one of us is really bad at this, and I'm sort of thinking it's you."

He smiled slightly, standing to walk towards her. "You're probably right. Forgive me Madeline, sometimes I become so preoccupied with my work nothing else really sinks in."

She waited for a moment, silently, and then spoke again. "Has it sunk in yet?"

He nodded, "I think so."

"Good, so…"

"It is important for me to keep up with my research, Madeline. I apologize, but…"

"Please, Mohinder, just ignore your work for one hour! I'm going crazy with nothing to do except sitting there watching my brother get sicker and sicker. I need something to do to keep myself from going crazy." She shut the still open door of the apartment and moved towards him eagerly. "Please!"

"What is it that you want me to do for you, exactly?"

"Seriously Mohinder, if I have to walk you through it…"

He cleared his throat awkwardly, suddenly understanding what she was doing there. "Madeline, I thought you wanted to take things slow between us."

"I did…" She shrugged. "A girl's got a right to change her mind." She closed the distance between them, slipped her arms around his neck, and puckered her lips at him. "If you're interested?"

His lips turned up slowly, "I am."

"Good." She moved in until their lips connected. From then on neither of them had anything more to say.

An hour later, Mohinder had forgotten all about his need to return to his pressing research, while Madeline lay curled up quite comfortably in his arms with her head against his chest. Her breathing was steady, and for a minute he wondered if she had fallen asleep.

"Mohinder, can I ask you a question?" She spoke up suddenly, proving that she wasn't actually asleep.

"You can ask me anything." He assured her with confidence.

"Why genetics?"

"I'm sorry?"

"What got you started in genetics? And this virus specifically…" She expanded her question.

Mohinder wondered how many times he would have to tell the painful story of his sister's early death. He didn't want to bring it up; it wasn't exactly the story that would set a romantic mood, but she asked, and she expected an answer. "My sister died from the same virus that your brother has."

She lifted her head suddenly, trying to see his expression. "I'm so sorry, Mohinder."

"It's fine, it happened before I can remember." He ran his fingers through her dark hair, trying to soothe the anxiety she was feeling for him. "My father is the one who had to endure the grief. Her death drove him to into researching her genetic abnormality and he discovered that others shared her DNA defects. It became his obsession."

"So where is he now?"

"Umm, he was murdered."

"Oh God, Mohinder!" She sat up now; his eyes drifted automatically to her black lace bra. "I feel awful. Could I pick worse topics?"

His hand moved to her back and he stroked up her spin with his fingers gently. "It's fine. You didn't know." He sat up as well, pressing his chest against her back and kissing her shoulder softly. "It's not really something I choose to discuss, but I can't ignore that it happened. Following his murder and his research became my obsession. I would have had to tell you eventually if we plan on having an honest relationship."

"Relationship?" Madeline repeated, stretching her neck to give him better access.

He stopped kissing her abruptly. "I just assumed…I mean after this…"

"This? So you mean after having sex with me you automatically assume we're going to be in a relationship now?" She pulled the sheet more snuggly around her waist.

"I didn't mean to assume, I just…" He hesitated. Truth was he had assumed. It had been a while since he had been with a woman; in fact the last woman he had slept with was a woman he had dated for eight months. Having a one-night-stand wasn't exactly his ideal, especially not when he would still be seeing Madeline on a regular basis at the hospital.

"I'm just giving you a hard time Mohinder," she told him. She slid her hand over his bare chest, easing him back down onto his back. "I anticipate many…" she pressed her lips against his chest, " many…" She worked her way up to his neck. "Many more nights like this."

"That's good to hear," he responded to her kisses as she moved up to his mouth. She maneuvered her legs so she was straddling him, and leaned forward eagerly into his kisses. Before they had a chance to take it any further, his cell phone rang.

"Seriously, your cell phone is going to be a problem in this relationship." He smiled apologetically as she reached across him to retrieve his cell phone from the table beside the bed. Glancing at the ID automatically, she announced, "it's Claire."

"Of course it is," he answered the phone, trying not to sound resentful. "Hello Claire."

"_Hi Dr. Suresh, I hope this isn't a bad time." _

"Actually, Claire, I am sort of in the middle of something…could I call you later?"

"_It's important." _

"It usually is," Mohinder reminded her.

"_It's about Molly…" _

Mohinder sighed and regretfully motioned for Madeline to resettle beside him instead of on him. She seemed reluctant, but slipped off of him and stretched out beside him, wiggling around to get comfortable beneath the covers. "What about Molly?"

"_She's not doing well." _

"Claire, she hasn't been doing well for months. How is now any different?"

"_I went to visit her today…I told you she was staying at Niki's right?" _

"Yes you did."

"_Right, well I went to visit her today and she's not doing well." _

"More nightmares?"

"_No, she's sick, Dr. Suresh." _She clarified. _"Really sick. She has a high fever and Niki told me that she's been throwing up after her nightmares…" _

"The virus is coming back," Mohinder panicked. "I knew it wouldn't be gone for good. I had hoped…I wanted to believe…but…"

"_Are you sure it's the virus?" _Claire interrupted. _"I mean, she could just be sick…" _

"It's a possibility of course, but with her past I'm not sure it's likely," He told her. "Just keep checking on her and keep me updated."

"_Dr. Suresh, I don't know how to take care of her."_ Claire told him. _"I try to visit her at least every other day, but it's hard to take care of Peter and Molly and still try to have a normal life." _

"A normal life?" Mohinder repeated. "Claire, you're not…" He paused. "Wait a minute, I know what this is about…Matt called me. He mentioned that you've been seeing someone."

"_Matt told you?"_

"He's concerned, so is Peter, and now I'm starting to…"

"_Peter?" _Claire gasped. _"You talked to him about me too?" _

"No, Matt talked to him, he told me what Peter said. Claire, do you really think dating is a good idea right now, I mean with everything that's going on?"

"_Not that it's really any of your business if I want to date or not, I'm just trying to maintain a tiny fraction of a normal life. Can't you understand that?" _She paused. _"With everything that's going on, as you say, Jaden is the only person that makes me feel a little normal. I need him to feel sane." _

"I understand how difficult life is for you right now Claire. You have been very brave and very good to take on such a large responsibility, but…" Mohinder knew Madeline was trying to decipher his conversation. "You assured me that you would be able to handle things while I am here in Seattle. I agreed because I trust you Claire. You are a very mature young woman and I believe that you are perfectly capable. Just don't let this guy get in the way of your responsibilities."

"_Don't worry," _Claire didn't intend to snap at him, but she couldn't help it. _"I just thought you would want to know about Molly. I can take care of everything though. I promise. Don't worry." _She was silent for a minute and he knew she was irritated. _"I'm sorry I bothered you." _

"You didn't really. You can call me anytime, Claire, you know that."

"_Yea, thanks," _She paused again. _"I've got to go now. Bye." _

"Goodbye Claire." Mohinder clicked off of the phone, tossing it onto the thick rug on the floor beside the bed.

"Everything okay?" Madeline asked instantly.

Mohinder rubbed his hand over his eyes wearily as he turned to look at the beautiful girl cuddling up to his side. He tried not to let everything else bother him, when all he wanted was to enjoy his time with Madeline, but it was impossible to ignore the phone call he had just had.

"Remember the little girl I told you about in New York?"

"Molly."

"Yes," Mohinder confirmed. "Well, she seems to be sick again. She has all the symptoms of the virus coming back."

"I thought you said you had cured her."

"I did, temporarily. I wasn't sure if it would last and I suppose now I know."

Madeline took a moment to contemplate the meaning of what Mohinder had just told her. "Then that means…" she paused. "Even if you cure my brother, it won't be permanent?"

"I can't be certain." He told her honestly. "This virus is very unusual and very rare. I can't be sure if it will have the same effect on everyone that it infects. I'm sorry I can't give you anything more solid. I want you to hope for the best, but I don't want to lie to you."

"I know," she kissed his shoulder and then his neck, making her way up to his cheek. "You're always taking care of me…of everyone actually." She covered his lips with hers, lingering for a moment before pulling away again to continue the conversation. "Who takes care of you?"

"Well…" He turned his head, giving her better access to his lips. "Are you up for the job?"

She giggled and let him take over the kissing. "I think I could manage."

Mohinder ended the rest of conversation, consuming her with his kisses and pulling her back on top of himself. He made up his mind to not let all the problems he should be thinking about bother him right now. He wanted to focus on Madeline and her alone. Everything else he would have to deal with later.

CLAIRE & PETER

NEW YORK

"No, I don't know what to do about it, that's why I'm calling you." Claire tapped her nails impatiently against the ceramic-tiled counter-top. "No, he's not listening to me at all. He's very stubborn." She leaned around the doorway, peering into the living room where Peter was sitting on the couch, drawing furiously on a sketchpad in an effort to release his frustration and keep himself awake. "Nathan, you know as well as I do that Peter doesn't like to be taken care of. I mean, he's doing fine for now, but what about when he really needs help…he won't let me near him!" She watched him rip a page from the sketchpad, crumple it into a ball, and throw it across the room. "He hasn't slept for days. He's not going to be able to hold out much longer, but he's afraid of the nightmares…I know…I told him that…Nathan, he doesn't listen to me…I'm not giving up yet…" She watched Peter start to draw on a fresh page. "Whether or not he wants to admit it, he needs me and I'm going to be here for him when he realizes that."

There was a knock on the door, which Peter didn't acknowledge.

"Nathan, I have to go. There's someone at the door…yea, I'll call you soon. Bye." She hung up the phone and hurried to the door.

"Hey," Jaden was waiting on the other side when she opened it.

"Oh! Hi…" Claire had been so busy worrying about Peter she had forgotten that Jaden was taking her out for dinner.

"Is something wrong?" Jaden picked up on her expression instantly. Taking a better look at her sweatpants and baggy T-shirt, he sighed. "You forgot about our date, didn't you?"

She glanced over her shoulder at Peter; he was still busily scribbling in his sketchbook, but she noticed him glance up briefly. "Jaden, I'm so sorry, things have been crazy…" She stepped out in the hall, pulling the door shut partly. "Peter's not doing so well, and I think I should stay here with him tonight."

"Seriously?" Jaden shook his head. "Claire, I know I told you I'd be patient, but you spend more time with your uncle than you do with your boyfriend."

"Boyfriend?" Claire repeated the word instantly.

"Umm…yea…" Jaden quickly realized his slip. "I didn't mean that…"

"Oh?" She instinctively pulled the door shut even further; for some reason she didn't want Peter to hear this conversation. "You didn't'?"

"I mean, I might…I could…we've just never talked about it before and I don't want to rush you if you're not ready for that level of commitment."

Claire couldn't help smiling. "You're like too good to be true."

"What?"

"I did not mean to say that out loud…"

"I'm glad you did," he responded by giving her a kiss.

"So, boyfriend?" She repeated after the kiss ended.

"If you want."

She nodded, "yea I want."

"Good, then can you spare a night away from your helpless uncle to spend a night with your boyfriend?"

Claire wanted to say yes, but she could hear Peter rustling his sketchpad inside the apartment and all she could think about was how he might need her. She couldn't let him down.

"Please, just one night…one hour even!"

Claire debated briefly, but her responsible self kicked in. "I'm sorry Jaden, but not tonight." She started backing into the apartment. "Please don't hate me for this. I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay," Jaden still didn't seem to understand or respect her decision, but he accepted it and gave her another kiss before she slipped back into the apartment and shut the door.

"So, boyfriend?" Peter put down the sketchpad the moment Claire had rejoined him inside the apartment.

"So now you listen to me? You'll eavesdrop on my private conversations, but when I'm trying to give you some advice on how to take care of yourself you act like you're deaf." She leaned against the door and crossed her arms. She wasn't really angry; she had expected him to be listening.

"Boyfriend." He repeated. "You barely know him, Claire."

"I'm sorry, but we've had this discussion before." Claire narrowed her eyes. "You are not allowed to give me any rules about my dating life." She crossed into the kitchen, pausing briefly to give him one last comment on the subject, "but yes, Jaden is my boyfriend now and I am very happy about it. I'm making some tea, do you want any?"

"No," he answered promptly. "I think I'm going to bed actually."

"Really?" She peered around the corner, trying to read his expression. He looked a little irritated, maybe even upset. "Bed?"

"Yea, you got a problem with that?"

She frowned at his tone. "Peter…"

"Sorry," he seemed to suddenly realize how sharp he had been. "I'm just tired and don't really feel like discussing your new relationship."

"Okay…" Claire still didn't understand what had ticked him off. "But bed?"

"Yes, I'm tired."

"You've been so careful about not going to sleep though. You've been up for like two days straight…I know because you've kept me up too." She had left the kitchen now, returning to the living room to speak more clearly to him.

"Which would explain why I'm so tired." He stood from the couch and headed toward the bedroom. "You've got to be tired. I didn't mean to be keeping you up too."

"I know, I'm just worried about you."

"Claire, I'm exhausted. I can't stay up for another night." He told her. "If I have a nightmare, I'll deal with it. I've got to sleep though and face this problem."

"Okay," she followed him into the bedroom. "I'm glad you're going to sleep. I've been worried about you. It's not good to just not sleep."

"Yea, I know." Peter pulled down the blankets on his bed. "Umm, goodnight."

"Yea, goodnight," Claire still lingered in the doorway, a little nervous to leave him.

"Claire, I'm a big boy. I can tuck myself in."

"Right…" She stepped backwards out of the room. "Call me if you need anything."

"I will."

She shut the door of his bedroom to give him his privacy. Tea didn't sound tempting any more. Claire made herself comfortable on the couch, but knew she wouldn't be able to sleep. The idea of Peter finally trying to sleep through the night terrified her. She remembered all her nights sitting up with Molly after one of her nightmares; she didn't want to see Peter experience the same thing. Molly was just a little girl, Claire expected her to have nightmares, but Peter was supposed to be taking care of her—he was the strong one. She hated the idea of him being caught in such a terrifying nightmare that he would need her to take care of him; it scared her.

An hour had passed; Claire had been watching the minutes slowly tick by on the wall clock across the room, which was just barely illuminated by the glow from the moon shining in through the open window. She hadn't closed her eyes yet. She had been laying quietly, listening intently for any sounds of turmoil coming from Peter's room. He'd been quiet and she hoped that meant he was sleeping peacefully. He needed his rest if he was going to try and keep control over his abilities.

In her hour of quiet contemplation, Claire had seriously debated calling her dad. She hadn't talked to him in weeks and she had never stopped missing him, or her mom, or brother. For some reason, calling them made her feel like she'd be putting them in danger. It was ridiculous of course. She had no reason to think that, not anymore, but still, she knew they were safer away from her. It was probably the same idea that Peter had when he told Claire she'd be safer without him. All she wanted was to hear their voices though and to know for herself that they were okay. She had almost convinced herself to call them, when Peter let out a startling scream from the bedroom.

"Peter!" Claire was on her feet in a second, running to the bedroom. She fumbled with the doorknob before pushing open the door to find Peter thrashing around in bed, twisted in his sheets, and still screaming loudly. "Peter, wake up!" Claire leaned over the side of the bed, wondering how best to pull him out of his nightmare.

"No! Leave her alone!" He was shouting now, but still firmly stuck in his dreams.

"Peter," Claire tentatively touched his shoulder. His whole body glistened with sweat; his hair hung in his face. "Please wake up." She hated to resort to slapping again, but it seemed to be the only thing that worked on him. "I'm so sorry…" She pulled back her hand and slapped him hard across the face.

He sat up with a start, shocked out of his dream, and responded instinctively. She didn't even have time to react before he had raised his arm and telekinetically flung Claire across the room. Letting out a startled yelp, Claire's back collided with the floor-length mirror. She and the mirror crashed to the floor—the mirror shattering around her.

"Claire!" It only took a moment for Peter to recover his senses and realize what he had done. "Oh my god…" He jumped out of bed, rushing to where she lay amongst the broken shards of glass.

"I'm okay…" Claire could feel various spots on her body where the glass had pierced through, but she didn't want to worry Peter. "I'm fine."

"I am so sorry!" He slipped his hand beneath her back to help her sit up. That's when he felt the sharp piece of glass sticking out between her shoulder blades. "Oh god…"

"It's fine," she repeated. "Just pull it out." There was a lot of pain but she knew that it would heal in a moment, once she had located and removed all the prominent pieces.

"Can you stand?" He removed the piece from her back and helped her to stand.

"Yea, I'm not broken…" she attempted a grin, but winced when she felt another piece of glass sticking out of her side. Claire gripped it and pulled it out quickly, watching the skin knit itself back together. "See, nothing to worry about."

"Claire, I am so sorry."

"Please don't apologize again, it's not your fault."

"I told you that you could get hurt around me."

"Peter, you had no idea that you would wake up from a nightmare and send me flying across the room with your mind." She wobbled over to the bed at his guidance and sat down carefully. "Look, give me a couple more seconds and I'll be as good as new. Let's talk about you and your nightmare."

"I don't want to talk about it," Peter answered quickly.

"Peter, you just threw me into a mirror, the least you could do for me is tell me about your nightmare." Claire watched as a cut on her leg healed itself.

"It was bad," he answered after a moment. "Terrifying actually."

"You said, 'leave her alone'. What did that mean?"

Peter's dark eyes shifted and she knew he was trying to think of a lie.

"Peter, tell me the truth."

"He's looking for you." Peter admitted after another few moments of silence. "In my nightmare he showed me what he would do to you if he found you."

"Peter, I'm indestructible." Claire reminded him.

"That doesn't mean you can't be hurt," Peter looked at her. "I thought he had you. It felt so real…"

"He hasn't found me. And he isn't going to hurt me. I'm fine." She reached for Peter's hand. "And even if he ever did, it wouldn't be your fault."

"If anything ever happened to you though…"

"You would be right there to protect me," she told him. "Now, you barely slept for an hour. I need you to get more rest."

"I can't go back to sleep, Claire," he argued.

"Yes you can," she released his hand and stood to straighten out the twisted sheets on the bed and to fluff the pillows. "When Molly has nightmares and doesn't want to go back to sleep, she says my being with her helps."

"What?"

"I'm going to stay with you tonight. I think it might help you sleep," she explained.

"No, Claire, really, that's not a good idea…" Peter protested automatically.

"If it works for Molly, I think it could work for you." She slipped beneath the sheets on the other side of the bed. "If I'm here with you, you'll know that he hasn't gotten me. You'll be certain that I'm safe."

Peter smiled at her generous desire to help him and to comfort him, but seeing her lying there in his bed gave him too many thoughts that he knew were wrong. "Claire…"

"Lay down," she commanded, not letting him argue anymore. He slowly settled back down in bed, carefully staying on his side, but she crossed the middle line and took his hand again. "Try to sleep, and if anything bad happens, just remember that I am right here. I'm not going anywhere."

"Thank you," he closed his eyes and felt himself quickly drifting off to sleep with her fingers soothingly stroking the palm of his hand.


	32. Inner Turmoil

_A/N: Just wanted to say that I love you all! Thanks for the reviews. They really keep me going. Life has been so hectic these past couple weeks. It's like everything that could happen with school, family, future, friends, etc., is happening right now, but still I am trying to write and to make it good. So, I hope I don't let you down! I also wanted to comment on how many reviews I have been getting regarding Jaden—there seems to be a passionate hate for him. Which is great because it means that I'm really succeeding in my job as writer. He's not supposed to be liked. Also, I'm sorry to disappoint some of you, but he's not going to just suddenly die. He will be around for a little while, but I think it's necessary for Claire's story. I hope ya'll continue to enjoy anyway! Thanks again, and please keep up the superb reviews! _

SYLAR

HOLLAND

"I miss you too," Sylar gripped the phone tightly and spoke quietly as he waited outside the pub for his latest victim. "I know it's taking longer than I thought, but I'm almost finished." The door creaked open and Sylar instinctively shrank back into the shadows that blanketed the outside wall. "Tomorrow. I promise. I'll see you tomorrow Emily." He smiled as she made kissing noises into the phone. "All right, I have to go now…I have to get back to painting." He hung up and slipped the phone into his pocket as the door opened again and this time the one he had been waiting for stepped out.

Sylar waited for a few moments, allowing the victim to gain some distance before following him. Sylar's feet crept over the cobblestone street silently; a skill that he had acquired through his months of expert stalking—the victim continued on, blissfully unaware of a pursuer.

Sylar followed for two blocks, waiting until they were shrouded in an inconspicuous alleyway before making his move. Focusing his energy Sylar drew on his telekinesis to pin his victim to the brick wall of the building to the left.

"What the…"

"Hello," Sylar approached the wall slowly, planning his attack.

His victim struggled, "who are you? What are you doing to me?" More struggling. "Oh god…please don't hurt me." Tears streamed down her cheeks as she tried to break free from the invisible force holding her to the wall.

"Shh," Sylar placed a finger against her trembling lips. "Crying isn't going to help you at all Anika."

"How…how do you know my name?" She asked, still quivering in fear.

"It's my job to know." He tuned in his hearing and listened to the intense pounding of her heart; it exhilarated him. "That's not all I know about you."

She didn't respond, but she was now whimpering a little.

"I know that you're a student from Los Angeles, here on a student visa. I know that you're studying architectural design. And…" He placed his mouth up to her ear and whispered: "I know what you can do."

Her eyes widened and he heard her heartbeat quicken, but still she was silent.

"Come on…" He crooned. "Show me."

"I…I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes you do," he now placed his ear up to her chest even though it wasn't necessary to hear how loudly her heart was pounding. "Please show me."

She managed to shake her head in protest, but he only tightened his telekinetic grip around her throat.

"Show me!" He demanded harshly and she reacted only out of fear.

Her eyes turned upward toward the dark, clear night sky, she let out a shriek, her eyes clouded over, and a moment later Sylar heard a rumbling overheard and then a piercing streak of lightening shot out of the sky and struck the street only a couple feet from where they stood.

"Now that's impressive." Sylar stared at the shattered cobblestone that had been affected by the summoned lightning. "It will fit in nicely with my collection…" He raised a finger to her forehead, preparing to cut.

"Wait."

Sylar turned at the sound of a familiar voice behind him in the alleyway. "What are you doing here?"

"Did you really think these assignments were all about you, Gabriel?" Angela Petrelli looked severely out of place in the dark alleyway behind a Dutch pub dressed in Paris fashion's latest array of satin and angora; a pure white pearl necklace rested delicately around her neck.

"Mrs. Petrelli, you didn't answer my question." Sylar didn't loosen his grip on the Anika.

"I am here to give you your next assignment." She stepped closer to him; her manicured nails tapped against her arm. "First of all, you need to release her. We're done with her now."

"What?" Sylar's grip tightened unconsciously and Anika started to gasp.

"Let her go." She repeated more forcefully.

Sylar let his powers loosen slightly, knowing that he didn't have a choice. Angela represented his boss and if he disobeyed her, he was disobeying him. As much as he hated it, Sylar knew better than that. Once free from his grasp, Anika slipped to the ground and sat still, massaging her throat.

"You may leave now Gabriel. There are others coming to take care of her."

"But I thought I…"

"No Gabriel, you don't get this one." Angela shook her head, smiling at him slightly. "Here," she handed him an envelope and he took it, knowing exactly what it was—the instructions for his next assignment. He glanced at Anika in disappointment and left.

CLAIRE & NATHAN

NEW YORK

"How's Peter?" Nathan didn't wait for a minute before diving into the serious topic as he sat own for lunch with Claire.

"He's fine," she responded. "I mean as good as can be expected. He's dealing with a lot right now." She glanced over the menu without really taking anything in. Since the boys still hadn't had a chance to get to know Claire as their sister, Nathan decided it would be easier if they went out to lunch—just the two of them—rather than having her over to the house.

"Is he still having the nightmares?"

"Sometimes. They aren't as bad anymore. Or at least not as frequent." Claire shrugged, "I think it's been better for him with me there."

"I feel a little guilty making you take care of him. I should be taking care of him…" Nathan told her.

"It wouldn't be the same. He needs comfort."

"I'm his brother," Nathan reminded her.

"And I know you care about him, but it's not the same thing as being able to comfort him." She explained. "He needs gentleness and encouragement; that's what I give him."

"How do you provide that for him exactly?"

"I think just being there for him mostly. When he wakes up in the middle of the night with horrible things in his mind, I make sure he knows it's not real and that he's not alone." She smiled thinking of the past few nights that she had spent sleeping by his side, holding his hand until he fell asleep.

"Well, I really appreciate all that you do for him." Nathan smiled at her across the table. "But we need to think about you as well. You can't put your life on hold to baby-sit your uncle."

"I don't mind, Nathan."

"But I do," he insisted. "You are just a kid and kids go to school."

"I'm not a kid," she spoke up.

"Fine, but you still need to finish high school." He pulled a brochure from his inside jacket pocket. "This is an advertisement for a very respected private high school. It's where your brothers will be going when they're old enough."

Claire's lips twitched upwards when he said "brothers" but she didn't say anything. "So, private school then?"

"I'm not really sure how this is supposed to work, but technically I am your father…"

"Not technically," Claire corrected him. "You _are_ my father."

"Okay, then as your father, I'm supposed to put you in school, right?"

"Right," she agreed. "But private school, really?"

"Is that bad?"

"Just different."

"My sons are in private school. Both Peter and I attended private schools. I didn't even consider anything else for you." Nathan explained. "You should have the best education possible."

"If you say so," Claire gave in. "Private school sounds fun."

"Good, the fall semester starts on Monday."

"Already?" She sighed. "I haven't been in school for so long, I almost lost track of time."

"I think it will be good for you to get back into a normal routine."

"You're probably right," she smiled at the thought of trying to regain a piece of her normal life; she actually missed it at times. "So, how's Heidi?"

"She's good," he smiled. "She's been talking about having you come for dinner again sometime soon. I think she really liked you."

"Good, I like her too." Claire considered how much she would enjoy getting to know Heidi better, but she had been so preoccupied with Peter and he hadn't been in the mood for social visits. "Maybe when Peter gets his powers more under control we can plan another dinner."

"I hope so." Nathan started perusing his own menu, but couldn't keep his eyes off her. "Umm, so, have you heard anything from your dad…I mean you know, your other dad?"

Claire caught the hesitancy in his voice and she knew it was a strange subject for him to be bringing up. "No, I haven't."

He noticed the waver in her voice. "That must be hard for you. On top of everything else you're dealing with, you have to worry about your family too."

"It isn't easy," she confirmed. "But they're safer without me."

"Why are you trying to protect them from now? We saved the world Claire."

"And you think that's the end? The company that my dad worked for, the one that you got involved with, they're evil people. They have plans beyond destroying one city; I'm sure of it."

"That doesn't mean it will involve your family." Nathan told her. He stood suddenly. "Claire, I'm not really that hungry. There's something else I want to do instead."

"What?" She stood as well, though a little uncertain of his plan.

"Come with me," he led her out of the restaurant and down the street until they found a secluded alley with no one to see them. Then he wrapped his arm securely around her waist, holding her close. "Hold me tight."

"What?" She was still confused, but she did what he instructed and put secured her arms around his neck.

"You might want to close your eyes."

Before Claire had a chance to ask any more questions he had pushed off from the ground and shot into the sky like a rocket. She could feel the wind pressing down on them and for a minute she was afraid she'd fall, but she kept holding tightly and trusted him to keep her safe.

MATT & JANICE

NEW YORK

"How are you feeling today?" Matt inquired of his wife, resting the back of his hand against her cheek. "Nauseas? Hungry? Tired?"

"I'm feeling fine, Matt!" Janice turned her head to kiss his hand sweetly. "I am very well taken care of."

"Are you sure? Can I get you anything?" He focused on her mind, but she glared.

"If you are trying to read my thoughts, you can just leave right now."

"I just want to make sure…"

"We agreed that you wouldn't do that around me, unless I am aware and okay with it. Right now, I am not okay with it." She sounded upset, but she was smiling slightly.

"I know. You're right. I'm sorry." Matt stopped trying to pry into her mind, and instead leaned down to kiss her forehead. "I love you, you know that right?"

"Of course I do." She tipped up her chin and he kissed her on the mouth. "I love you too."

"Are you sure you don't need anything?" He lingered by her bedside, shifting back and forth between his feet. "I just want you to be content. I…I need to know that you're okay here…"

"What I need is for you to go and find a job and let me take care of things around here." She placed her hand on her stomach as she sat up to pull herself out of bed. "I agreed to move here because I wanted to," she reminded him. "I was as eager as you to get out of LA and put that part of our life behind us."

Even without reading her mind, Matt knew that she was referring to her affair. He had wanted to move for that reason, as well as for his work problems. Starting over in a new city seemed like a good solution.

"If we're going to make a good life here, you need to have a normal job and stop worrying about me all day long. I'm only five months pregnant. I can't imagine how things will be when I'm at eight months."

"Things will be great!" Matt decided.

"Prove it," Janice retorted as he once again was instantly at her side to help her stand.

"Right…" he backed off slightly. "I'm sorry. It's an automatic reaction!"

She smiled, really only appreciating how much he was caring for her. "I love you."

He was a little surprised by her sudden declaration considering that a moment ago he thought she was irritated with him—her constantly changing moods was just another reason why he adored his wife so much. "I love you too."

"You're going to be late for your interview," she reminded him gently, pointing to the clock that showed it was nearing nine.

"Damnit, you're right!" Matt hurriedly grabbed his wallet from the dresser, shoved it in the back pocket of his slacks, and smiled at his wife one last time before sprinting for the front door of their new apartment.

Once alone, Janet allowed herself a moment to relax, again laying back on the fluffy pillows and tucking herself into the duvet—the bedroom things were a few of the only actual items they had unpacked yet. She knew she was capable of taking care of herself and getting the apartment settled in, and she did want Matt to go out and secure a job, but secretly she was worried, which is why she had been so adamant about him staying out of her head lately. She didn't want him to know her fears; he wouldn't know what to do with them.

A small piece of her mind knew that her fears were potentially fully irrational, but she couldn't stop them. There were so many things for her to adjust to and she wasn't sure if she was strong enough for everything. First there was the fact that her husband could read minds, and now she learned that he wasn't the only unique person, but was only one of a whole group of people with strange and powerful abilities. Second, when she let herself consider it for too long she still feared whether or not Matt would ever forgive her for her affair. She hated herself for putting him through that; it wasn't worth it and she didn't know why she had done it. She loved Matt with all her heart—he was everything she could ever ask for in a husband. Third, now they were bringing a child into their lives. She didn't know what to expect from that. Would she be a good mother? Would they be good parents? And she now had to wonder if the child would possess the same abnormalities as Matt. And then there was the question she most feared: was Matt actually the father?

"Stop it," Janice reprimanded herself out loud and threw off the comfortable duvet.

If she let herself fall too deeply into all the serious thoughts rumbling through her mind, she knew she would cower in her doubts until Matt came home and found her exactly as he left her. And then what sort of message would she be sending him? Exactly what he was worried about—she wasn't capable. He had enough to worry about on his own without her piling on her own worries. She knew she would just have to be strong enough, brave enough, and determined enough to crush her fears and her doubts without his help.


	33. the Strange & the Familiar

_A/N: Where is everyone? I feel like all of a sudden all my reviewers ganged up together and decided to stop reviewing. Sad. I'm still here! Don't leave me! _

MOHINDER, ADAM, MADELINE

SEATTLE

"I went on another date with Mohinder tonight…you know Dr. Suresh." Madeline giggled as she made the confession to her brother. He was asleep, so he couldn't actually hear her; sometimes it was easier for her to speak openly to him that way. "I really like him, Adam. He's nice and smart and funny…" She smiled down at her brother. "And he's sincerely determined to make you better, so how can I not fall for him? When you get all better, we're going to go out—the three of us—and you'll be able to get to know him as well as I have. I know you'd like him." She grew suddenly solemn. "You have to get better, Adam. I need my big brother to look after me."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt…" Mohinder paused in the doorway when he noticed Madeline bent over her brother's bed, speaking to him quietly. "I'll come back…"

"No, please stay." She blinked back her tears as she looked up at him. "I was just talking to him."

"Has he been waking up?"

"No, I was just talking to him. He wasn't talking back." Madeline clarified.

"That's good." Mohinder told her. "It's good for him to hear your voice."

"You know, I've always heard that, but does it really do any good?"

"Well, he's not exactly a coma patient, so it isn't exactly the same I'd imagine, but I think it would be encouraging for him to wake up to your voice. Comforting, if nothing else." Mohinder explained.

"Good," she blushed. "I didn't want you to think I was silly or something. I like talking to people when they sleep."

"People?" Mohinder frowned. "Do you talk to me when I am asleep?"

She blushed, "Maybe."

"Really?"

"Yea, actually last night after you fell asleep I stayed up for a while and talked to you."

"What did you talk to me about?" He questioned, now fully curious in her unusual habit.

"Just stuff," Madeline responded, distinctly avoiding a direct answer.

"What sort of stuff?" Mohinder pressed.

"It's private."

"Private? How can it be private if it's stuff that you were saying to me?"

"If you had been awake I might not have said everything…"

He smiled. "Well, maybe tonight I'll just have to pretend that I am asleep so I can here all these secret things you're saying to me."

"Tonight?" Madeline repeated. "So, am I supposed to take that as an invite?"

"Yes," he assured her. "That's exactly what it is."

"Hmm…two nights in a row…" She stood and crossed the room until she was standing in front of Mohinder. "That sounds pretty serious."

"I think it is serious."

Both Mohinder and Madeline turned when Adam spoke up from the bed.

"Adam!" Madeline hurried over to him, grasping his hand automatically, while Mohinder started dutifully checking his vitals. "I thought you were asleep."

"I was, off and on. It's been difficult to sleep steadily lately." He glanced up at Mohinder. "So, how am I looking, Doc?"

"Good," Mohinder grunted out automatically as he double-checked all the machines. "Really, good." He reiterated, looking up at Adam to make his point. "Everything I am seeing looks fantastic actually."

"Really?" Madeline's eyes flashed excitedly as she peered down at her brother. "Did you hear that? You're getting better."

"You sound surprised," Adam grinned. "You should know better than that. You know your big brother can handle anything."

"I know you can," she pressed her lips firmly against his forehead, holding it there longer than necessary. "I love you."

"I know sis," he closed his eyes and allowed her to keep her lips on his forehead as long as she needed. "I love you too."

"Pardon me, I don't mean to interrupt anything important, but I just thought I should introduce myself and meet the man I'll be working with."

All eyes turned to the young woman who had entered the room. She was dressed sharply in a black pencil skirt, a white collared shirt, and a white lab coat.

"I'm sorry, but should I know what you're talking about?" Mohinder questioned the stranger.

She smiled as she tucked her short dark hair behind her ear. "I guess not. They were supposed to tell you, but they must not have gotten around to it yet. I've been assigned as your research assistant. I'm here to help you with Mr. Monroe and any other patients who exhibit similar symptoms." She took a step towards him. "Including Molly Walker."

"How do you know about Molly?" Mohinder demanded.

She glanced at Madeline and Adam who were listening with attentive curiosity. "Join me in the hall, please? For a little privacy." She motioned for Mohinder to follow her out of the room and he did so, without question. "I've done my research on this virus and your work, Dr. Suresh." She handed him a file she had been holding at her side. "Through my contacts I've managed to discover a few more people throughout the country who have started showing signs of this virus."

"Your contacts?"

"Yes, I have many." She didn't offer any more information. "They are very interested in you and in your work."

"Why does that make me feel uncomfortable?"

She smiled again. "They just want to make sure that you are doing your job well."

"So, you're here to baby-sit me?"

"Not you," she corrected him, "your patients."

"I don't understand."

"People like Molly and Adam…you are working to cure them and return their abilities to them in full force, correct?"

"You know about their abilities?"

"Dr. Suresh, I've already told you, I know everything." She laughed a little now. "Don't look so surprised. Anyway, my employers want to make sure that once these people have their abilities back they will use them…constructively."

"Constructively?" Mohinder frowned. "I've heard people talk like that before."

Her smile faded a little. "Dr. Suresh, please, you have nothing to worry about. Like I said, I'm just here to keep an eye on things."

"Right," he didn't like the way her eyes analyzed him. "I'm sorry, I never got your name."

"I'm Sasha."

NATHAN & CLAIRE

FLYING THROUGH THE COUNTRY

"Nathan, I'm getting a little dizzy…" Claire dared another glance down, but could only see the fluffy white clouds miles beneath them. She assumed they were flying at the same level as airplanes and that thought brought her no comfort.

"We're almost there. Just close your eyes and take deep breaths." Nathan calmed her. "Seriously, just relax. It's the altitude that's make you dizzy. You'll get used to it if you let yourself." He tightened his hold on her waist and kept flying straight.

"I don't think it's the altitude that's bothering me. I think it's the whole flying without a plane thing…" She did what he said though and shut her eyes tightly, resting her forehead against his shoulder.

After a few more minutes she felt they were descending and she started to lift her head.

"I would advise keeping your head down and your eyes shut until we've landed. Sometimes the descent can be a little nauseating," Nathan told her, and she obeyed, trusting him completely. A moment later her feet bumped against the ground and Nathan loosened his hold around her waist. "How're you doing?"

"I'll live, but I'd rather never have to do that again."

"Well, you'll have to in order to get back."

"Get back? Where are we?" She looked around, separating from him and realized they were on top of a building. "Why do I feel like we're still in the air?"

"We're on a roof," Nathan explained. "It's the least conspicuous to land up high instead of on the street where anyone could see us."

"Okay…" Claire thought about peering over the side of the building to find a landmark that might indicate where he had brought her, but the thought of seeing how high up she was made her queasy. "So…are you going to explain what we're doing on a roof?"

Nathan smiled and led her to the door that would take them inside the building. "This is an apartment complex."

"Okay…" She stepped in front of him as he held the door open for her and grinned at him over her shoulder. "Are you buying me my own place?"

"No," he shook his head as he followed her in.

"Good because you know that Peter needs me. Besides, we flew for a really long time to just end up somewhere else in the city." She started down the steep steps to the floors below with Nathan following her.

"We're not in New York anymore, Claire."

"Seriously?" She almost lost her footing as she turned around to look at him.

"Yes," he quickly reached out to steady her before she fell.

"So, where are we?"

"I'm not telling you that."

They stayed quiet until they reached the third floor and then exited the stairwell and stepped into a corridor—dimmed sconce lights highlighted the gold embossing on the taupe-painted walls. They ambled down the hall with Claire continuing to be confused and Nathan looking at each number on the doors they passed.

"Here we are," he stopped her at door number 314.

"I really wish I knew what were doing here." Claire waited as Nathan knocked on the door. "I don't like surprises. That's probably something you should know about me, since you are my dad and all…" She stopped suddenly when the door opened and a familiar face greeted them. "Dad?"

"Claire!" Noah opened his arms to her and she instantly fell into them. He held onto her so tight it almost hurt, but she didn't complain. "I have been so worried about you."

"I know…I am so sorry for running out like I did and not calling…" she felt all the emotion and the stress from the past few weeks erupt like a volcano and her tears cascaded down her face, soaking the shoulder of her dad's dress shirt. "I wanted to, I just didn't want anything else to happen to you guys because of me!"

"So, what are you doing here now?" He asked when the finally parted.

"I…" she looked back for Nathan who was politely hanging back to give her a moment with her adopted father. "Nathan brought me."

"Thank you," Noah gave Nathan an appreciative smile and motioned him into the apartment, with his arm still firmly around his daughter's shoulders. "I called Dr. Suresh a week ago, but he said that he's not with you anymore."

"He's in Seattle." Claire explained. "He's found a new patient there."

"So, who's looking after you now?" Noah shut the door before guiding the other two into the living room and directing them to take seats.

"I don't need looking after," she told him. "I can take care of myself…"

"Claire…" He started to protest but she held up her hand to stop him.

"I've been living with Peter, so I guess technically you can say he's been looking after me. I'm safe."

"Good," he sat in the chair across from where Claire had chosen to sit on one of the leather sofas.

"How have things been?" Claire had no idea where to start the conversation. Visiting her family was the last thing she had expected when Nathan flew her out of New York. Ever since running out of the hotel from her dad, she had been doing her best to avoid her family; visiting was definitely not on her agenda. Now that she was here though, staring into her dad's worried face, she had a strong urge to never leave again. "How're mom and Lyle?"

"Good, we're all good." Noah assured her. "Your mom's been busy getting us settled into the apartment, and your brother's just been enjoying what little time he has left of summer." He paused. "They both miss you, a lot."

"I miss them too," she looked around automatically. "Are they here now?"

"No, I'm sorry, but your mom's at the grocery store and your brother's at soccer try-outs." He glanced at the clock sitting on the mantel. "They should be home soon though, if you can wait…how long are you going to be able to stay?"

"I don't know," Claire glanced at Nathan questioningly. "I really shouldn't be gone too long. There's Peter to think about…"

"Peter?" Noah asked.

Claire hesitated. She didn't want her dad to worry; he thought she was keeping safe in New York. "It's nothing."

"Claire."

When her dad used that tone she knew not to lie to him. "Well, you know how I said that Peter's been taking care of me…it's sort of the other way around actually. Peter's not doing well. He's having a hard time adjusting to all his abilities—the newest in particular."

"And so what have you been doing to help him?"

"This and that," she answered casually. "The point is I'm taking care of him, and I really shouldn't be away from him for too long."

"I'm sure he can handle himself for a couple of hours, Claire," Nathan told her. "I brought you here so you could see your family. I know how much you've been missing them and even though I know you don't want to put them in danger or whatever reason is keeping you away, you need to see them."

Claire smiled at him gratefully. "A couple hours."

"Good, then I'm going to get out of your way and let you guys have some time alone." Nathan stood and headed for the door.

"You don't have to leave," Noah told him. "We could all get to know each other."

"That's generous of you, but I think that we both know you would appreciate some alone time with your daughter."

"Thank you," Noah didn't protest any more and Nathan left with a slight nod to Claire and a promise to return in two hours.

"So, I see you guys have finally settled in a new place." Claire thought it would be easiest to keep the conversation as casual as possible.

"Yea, hotel life was only fun for about a week." Noah explained. "This place isn't exactly home…but it's good enough for now."

"How are mom and Lyle adjusting?"

"Good, I think, really good." Noah shrugged. "As I said before, they both miss you, and I'm not sure they fully understand why you aren't here with us. Especially Lyle, it's hard for him to comprehend everything that's happened."

"They still know right?" She hated that she had to ask.

"What?"

"About me. They still know everything, don't they?"

"Yes," Noah looked a little hurt that she had asked, but he knew why she did. "They still have all their memories."

"Good," Claire was quiet for a minute, but felt like she should say more. "I mean, I'd understand if they didn't…you would just be trying to protect them…just like I'm trying to protect you."

"Claire, I really don't understand what you think you to protect us from. If anything I think we would all be safer just being together…"

"No," Claire shook her head firmly. "Maybe there's nothing for us to worry about, maybe I'm just being paranoid, but I'm not taking any chances. If there's anyone looking for me then I should be as far away from you guys as possible." She stood and started pacing habitually around the room. "I don't want you to think that it's easy for me to be away from you guys…it's not…but it's just necessary right now."

"For how long?"

"I don't know."

"All right," he gave in reluctantly. "I won't bring it up again. Please come and sit down Claire-bear."

She stopped pacing suddenly and turned back to him. Hearing his familiar nickname for her, reminded her how much she really did miss her family.

"Come on, let's talk about your life in New York. I want to know everything."

Claire returned to her seat, now calmer than before. "Haven't we been over this?"

"No, I want to know _everything_," He reiterated. "Your brother starts school next week, what about you?"

Claire nodded, "Nathan enrolled me in a private school."

"Private school?"

"I know, it's strange, huh? But he says it's the best. His sons go to private school. I guess being the daughter of a politician doesn't really give me much of a choice in those kinds of things." She noticed the twitch in her dad's eye and she sighed. "I'm sorry…I know that it's difficult for you to think of Nathan as my real dad…"

"No, it's fine. It's something I'll have to get used to, especially since you're living there with him now."

"I'm not living with him though…"

"It's the same thing. He's putting you in school and I assume he's paying for everything you need as well."

"Yea, he is." Claire confirmed. She smiled at him encouragingly. "I still think of you as my real dad though. No DNA test is ever going to change that."

Hearing her say it, Noah realized how much he had started to doubt Claire's loyalty to him as her father. He needed this reassurance. "I love you so much sweetheart."

"I love you too dad."


	34. How Things Change

HIRO

JAPAN

Hiro opened his eyes expectantly as he felt his body appearing inside the holding room where the Princess was being kept. He silently yelped for joy at the fact that his teleportation had worked as he wanted it to. The princess was sitting with her back pressed up against the wall, her legs stretched out in front of her, and her hands bound tightly with rope.

"Princess?" Hiro whispered as he knelt beside her in the heavy darkness.

"Hiro?" Kaori's whispered reply showed her excitement. "You came!"

"I am here to rescue you." He told her.

"How are you going to do that?" She held up her wrists, showing him that she was tied.

Hiro withdrew his sword and motioned for her to hold out her hands so he could sever the rope. When this was done he helped her stand.

"Are you hurt?"

She shook her head. "Not really."

He touched her face instinctively and felt that her cheeks were wet. "Why are you crying?"

"He's my brother," she reminded him. "The man who is holding me hostage here is my brother." Her tears started flowing again. "He threatened to have me killed if I tried to escape. My own brother…that's how much he hates Takezo."

"I'm sorry," Hiro didn't know what else to say to comfort her. "We will get away and he will not be able to kill you. Kensei is waiting for you."

She grasped his hands tightly and whimpered. "Hiro, you shouldn't be here."

"Why? I am here to save you."

"No, here in this time. It isn't where you're meant to be."

"I know that," Hiro wondered how much Kensei had told her.

"You have to go home Hiro. There are people there who need you."

Hiro frowned, "How do you know that?"

"I've seen them. I've seen everything."

Hiro considered what she meant for a minute and then his eyes grew wide. "You have a gift too?"

She nodded, "I see things that are going to happen."

"Like Mr. Isaac." Hiro realized. "But no painting." He wondered if Kensei knew that his girlfriend had her own set of special abilities. He had never mentioned it, and it seems like something that might have come up in all their training, but either he didn't know or he didn't want Hiro to know for some reason. There wasn't time to think about it right now though.

She didn't understand what he meant. "You have to go home."

Hiro nodded. "I will, but only after you are safe with Kensei." He took both her hands in his. "Hold onto me tight. Don't let go and don't be afraid."

She did as he was told and gripped tightly to his arms as he focused all his energy to transport both of them out of there and back to where he knew Kensei was waiting at his own fortress.

SYLAR

ROME

"I thought the assignment would make you happy."

Sylar unconsciously glanced at his wristwatch. It didn't work, it hadn't for a long time, but he refused to remove it. "Well, I suppose I'm just a little confused."

"About what?" Angela crossed her arms, staring at him intensely. "You complained for days about being taken off your last assignment—that girl in Holland—so I thought it would make you happy to have another." She scrutinized his expression. "Aren't you pleased?"

"Yes," Sylar snapped. "I did want another assignment, I just wish I understood the purpose in all this."

"Purpose?" Angela repeated. "The purpose is following orders, Mr. Sylar. Are you capable of following orders or not?"

"Of course I am," he decided it might be a good idea to calm down his tone. She was his superior after all. The assignment he had just completed still confused him though, and it was something he couldn't just ignore. "But he didn't exhibit any abilities."

"Does it matter?" Angela handed him a check. "You accomplished what we asked you to. You eliminated your target."

Sylar took the check. He didn't bother to check the amount; they were all the same—more than adequate. "I'm just used to my targets being special. This one had no powers. He wasn't special. He was a normal person, so why did I have to kill him?"

"I thought an elimination would please you."

He frowned at the condescending tone in her voice and shook his head. "Usually it would, when the purpose behind it was obvious." He briefly considered how dangerous this conversation could become if he thought he wasn't being obedient any more. "You know what, it doesn't matter. I'm just doing a job. I'll just have to get used to the fact that I'm not on my own agenda anymore."

"Good," Angela wasn't ready to let him leave yet. "Mr. Sylar, it's been quite a while since we sent you to keep an eye on Miss Banks, and yet there have still been no developments?"

"That's right," Sylar kept his voice calm, not wanting to give her any reason to be suspicious.

"She hasn't exhibited any powers, anything out of the usual?"

"No, nothing," he confirmed.

Angela peered at him curiously. "You know Mr. Sylar, you have been a great addition to our company. I would hate to have to let you go."

"Mrs. Petrelli, I have no reason to lie to you." He insisted. "If Emily had exhibited any sort of abilities, I would have let you know immediately."

"Emily?" Angela pondered the meaning of Sylar being on a first name basis with his assignment.

"Miss Banks," Sylar corrected himself.

"Fine," Angela gave up on the interrogation. "We'll have a new assignment for you within the week."

PETER & CLAIRE

NEW YORK

"Try again," Claire picked up a book from the table and threw it hard across the room.

"Dammit Claire, I can't!" Peter shouted at her as the book collided with the wall and slipped to the floor. "Stop wasting your time with me."

Claire glared at him, but he was staring at the ground and didn't see. _You can if you just try. _

"No I can't!" He argued.

"See!" She threw up her hands angrily. "You can read my mind whenever you feel like it because you've practiced it so much, but you can't control your other abilities because you just don't enough." She picked up another book and hurled it across the room bitterly. "You'd think that a guy who almost destroyed half a city would be a little more interested in learning how to control himself."

"Stop it," Peter lifted his dark eyes to her.

She felt like she should be afraid—he'd never looked at her that way before—but she was too frustrated with him to care what he thought about her at this moment. "You don't scare me Peter."

"I should."

Her glare hardened and she let out an irritated grunt. "Is that what this is about? Still?" She flung another book, this time coming dangerously close to his head. "You can't hurt me Peter! I'm not in danger around you and I'm not leaving you to be a danger to yourself." She crossed the room until she was standing only a foot in front of him. "Until you get your powers under control, you're stuck with me. So if you want to get rid of me that badly, I'd suggest that you start putting some effort into this."

For a moment he wondered if she would slap him if he said "no" again. He almost tested her, but as he gazed into her beautiful green eyes, his anger melted. _Why does she care so much about what happens to me? _In his mind he knew that she was probably only trying to help him for the good of everyone else, but he liked to pretend that he was her sole purpose.

"Fine," he conceded. "Let's try again."

Her frown faded and her lips turned up. "Really?"

"Yea, I mean if it's the only way I'm going to get rid of you…"

She rolled her eyes, but she was smiling fully again and he knew he had her back the way he liked her—perfectly sweet and caring. "You've got a long way to go." Picking up yet another book, she held it in the air for a minute, focusing her eyes on Peter. "Freeze it."

Peter put all his energy into freezing the book. He concentrated so hard it made his head burn, but when she threw the book and it was nearly about to collide with the wall, it stopped, frozen in midair.

"Oh my god!" She clapped her hands and jumped up and down, exhibiting remnants of the cheerleader within. "You did it!" In an instant she had crossed the room again and thrown her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. "I knew you could do it!"

"Don't get too excited, once is easy enough. I might not be able to do it again." His arms circled around her waist automatically and he unconsciously let himself breathe in her familiar scent.

"I know you can do it again! I have faith in you!" All too soon she had broken the hug and ran back to the table to pick up the next book for more practice. "This time I want you to freeze it earlier."

"I'll try," he agreed.

"No…" She lifted the book and smiled at him. "You'll do it."

"Yes ma'am." He grinned and started to focus again.


	35. Taking the Next Step

SYLAR

LONDON

"Welcome home."

Sylar stopped with the door part open and the key still in the lock. Coming home from Rome he had anticipated an empty apartment. Seeing her sitting at the small table, waiting for him with a wide smile, made his heart leap.

"How did you get in?"

"I flirted with your super. I wanted to surprise you." Emily stood and crossed to him.

"You definitely succeeded." He pulled the key from the lock and stepped all the way in to his one-bedroom apartment.

"You're not upset, are you?" She looked worried. "I just missed you so much and I couldn't wait to see you…"

"Emily, calm down," he knew how anxious she was feeling based on the speed of her heartbeat. "I've never been less upset about anything." He dropped his traveling bag on the floor and pulled her into his arms. "I missed you too."

"Really?" She tipped her head back to look up at him; her green eyes were inquisitive.

"Yes," he confirmed with a kiss.

"Good," she returned the kiss eagerly. "Now that's settled, how about ordering in?"

"Ordering in?"

"For dinner," she explained. "I'm starving, you have nothing in your kitchen, and I don't know about you but I'd rather stay here than go out tonight."

"You would?" He picked up the suggestive tone in her voice. "Are you sure?" Up until now they had both carefully avoided the next step in their relationship. "I mean we don't have to…"

She smiled, nodded, and led him by the hand into the bedroom. "I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to be."

As he followed her into the bedroom and she started to undress, he realized just how much he had come to care for Emily. She was perfect in every way and the way he felt when he was with her was a feeling he'd never known before—it was addicting.

He spoke before he could stop himself: "I love you."

She paused with her skirt halfway unbuttoned. "You what?"

He hesitated, fearing he had spoken to quick or too honestly. His ears turned in, trying to decipher her emotions based on her heartbeat. It was racing, but he couldn't be sure if she was nervous or excited.

"I love you," he knew he couldn't take it back and so he decided to repeat himself and wait to see what happened. "You don't have to respond…I don't expect you to say anything that you're not ready for. I just needed to tell you how I feel."

She was quiet for a moment and then she smiled. "I love you too, Isaac."

Sylar froze. All the bliss he had been experiencing only a minute before vanished in an instant as he realized the truth. What he felt for her could never be reciprocated fully as long as she only knew him as Isaac Mendez. As much as he wanted to believe it wouldn't make a difference, he wondered if she would still be able to love him if she knew who he really was—that he killed Isaac.

ANGELA PETRELLI & MR. OKENBERG

"I think we might have a problem," Angela confronted Mr. Okenberg first thing when her private plane landed.

"Oh? Has Mr. Sylar not been performing well?"

"No, he's fine. His skills are definitely impressive, but it's his attitude I'm not sure of."

"Oh?" Mr. Okenberg looked up from his paperwork, giving her his full attention. "What happened?"

"I can't be certain, but I believe he has formed an attachment to his assignment, Miss Banks." She explained. "I think he might be protecting her."

"So you think she might actually have abilities and he is concealing them from us?"

"I think it's a possibility and something we should test for ourselves."

Mr. Okenberg wasn't as convinced. "Everything that I know about Mr. Sylar wouldn't suggest to me that he is capable of having feelings for anyone…"

"I believed the same for a while, but you didn't speak to him like I did," she explained. "He was questioning our motives for his latest elimination. He wanted to know what the purpose was for killing a man who had no abilities."

"You didn't tell him, did you?"

"Of course not," she snapped. "Do you think I'm an idiot?"

He apologized with a slight nod of his head. "We will send someone out immediately to test Miss Bank's capabilities." He paused. "It might be a good idea to test Mr. Sylar as well."

"How do you propose we do that?"

"I have someone who I'm certain would be eager to help." He dialed a number on his desk phone and waited as it rang, when it was answered he held up a finger to Angela. "Hello! Yes I know it's been a while. I'm sorry to have neglected you, but I have an assignment for you now if you're interested…" He paused to wait for the answer. "Perfect, you remember Mr. Sylar, don't you? Yes I thought you might…well, we need you to check up on him for us…we're having a problem with his loyalties…we think he might care too much for Miss Banks. Would you please confirm that and report back to us? Thank you very much dear." He hung up the phone and turned back to Angela. "It's taken care of."

"Good, now I have to check up on someone myself, so I'll wait for you to update me with whatever your contact finds out." She left his office and headed down to the basement where the holding cells were located.

It only took her a minute to reach the one she needed; she'd been there many times before. She typed in the security code quickly and waited for the approving click before pushing open the door and stepping inside.

"Hello," she greeted him coldly.

His dark eyes turned up to her and focused intently. "I did not think I would ever see you again." His voice was subdued, but his French accent was as strong as ever.

"You sound disappointed," she noticed. "Really, you should know better; you can't get rid of me that easily." She perched on the only chair in the minimally decorated room—the chair was metal and bolted to the floor. "You disappointed me and the company. Because of you, our plans for the world were ruined. I almost lost my son because of you!" Her voice rose sharply and then settled back down. "But, your abilities are too important to simply do away with."

"I know all this," he interrupted her. "I have been locked in here for weeks. As far as I can see, I may never be released from this prison."

"This isn't prison," Angela rebuked him. "Trust me, prison isn't this clean. And you will be released eventually…once everything has been set right."

"It is not my fault that Claire went to New York."

"Yes it is. You had explicit instructions to take her safely out of the country and most of all to keep her away from Nathan. She was never even supposed to learn that Nathan was her father, but somehow she manages to slips away from you at the airport…"

"I tried to stop her…"

"She's a child! If you can't even manage a simple teenager then what good will you be to this company?"

"You underestimate Claire," he told her. A slight smile lit up his dark face. "That is your mistake."

Angela stared at him, trying to decipher his meaning. He said nothing else and she knew that he wouldn't and so she gave up and left, abandoning him once again to silence in his solitary holding cell.

JADEN & CLAIRE

NEW YORK

"I can't believe you didn't like the movie!" Jaden complained. He grabbed her hand and pulled quickly as she absentmindedly stepped off the sidewalk and into the street. "Slow down there firecracker!"

Claire looked up, realizing that she had almost stepped into traffic. "Thanks!" She grinned up at him. "You might have just saved my life, you know." She ignored the fact that even if she had been hit by a car, she would have walked away without a scratch—he didn't need to know that.

"Just call me your night in shining armor," he continued holding her hand, even though she was no longer in danger. "So, about the movie…"

"It was all gore! It was so violent."

"That's sort of what a horror movie is," he reminded her.

She shook her head. "There's enough violence and danger in the real world. I don't really feel like I need to see it in the movies too."

He squeezed her hand, "I'm sorry. Next time we'll go see a romance."

"Really?" She smiled and pulled his arm around her waist to keep him closer. "You're nice."

"I just want to make you happy."

"And that's why you're so nice," she clarified.

"All right, that's enough sappy for me." He tugged on her hand as the cross signal turned green and they crossed the street. "Are you sure your uncle's not going to be home?"

"He told me he had an errand to run and it would keep him out until at least midnight, so we've got plenty of time alone."

"What sort of errand keeps someone out until midnight?" Jaden asked.

Claire shrugged, "he didn't say." It was true. Peter had been very quiet about where he was going, but she had an idea that it had something to do with working on his abilities. They had been working together every day and he had been getting better, but they both knew he still had a long way to go.

They reached the front door of Peter's apartment complex and the doorman held it open for them. "Welcome home Miss Claire."

She continued holding tightly to Jaden's hand as she smiled at the doorman. The first few days she had been living there he had gotten confused on whether to call her Miss Petrelli or Bennett and so they had finally settled on him just calling her Claire.

"You haven't seen Peter come in yet, have you Louie?" She asked the doorman.

Louie shook his head. "No Miss, he's been out since seven."

"Great!" She sped up, pulling Jaden towards the elevators. "Thanks Louie!"

"Any time, Miss Claire!" He winked at her as Jaden pulled her into his arm, kissing her as they waited for the elevator.

"Now Jaden, I hope you're not expecting anything once we get upstairs."

He grinned and kissed her ear as the elevator doors slid apart. "Don't worry, I'm not expecting anything."

"Yes you are," she insisted. "I can see it in that smirk of yours."

"Well…I might be expecting a little something…" He started kissing her again and they stumbled into the elevator together; Jaden's back collided with the mirrored walls as the doors snapped shut. Once the elevator opened again, they kissed and giggled and tripped all the way to the apartment door.

"Wait…" she broke the kiss briefly in order to retrieve her keys from her purse. Jaden tried to resume the kiss, but she fended him off until she managed to unlock the door. The moment it was open though the kisses continued, leading them instinctively towards the couch.

"How much time do we have?" Jaden mumbled as his lips attacked her neck.

Claire tipped her head back to see the clock and to give him better access. "About thirty minutes."

"Great…" Jaden's kisses continued. Claire dropped her purse on the ground before securing her arms around him. "Tell me if I'm rushing you," he told her as he started working off her jacket.

To assure him that she was okay with everything, Claire leaned up and helped him to finish removing her jacket and then she removed his. Both jackets were dropped to the floor as the intensity of the kisses increased. Deep down, Claire realized that she was moving fast with Jaden—faster than she probably should—but being with him almost made her forget everything that had been bothering her; all her responsibilities vanished for a few minutes of juvenile pleasure. When she felt his hand slip beneath her shirt and glide over her bare stomach though, she started to react.

"Jaden…" she stopped his hand before it could move up any further.

"Sorry…" he apologized and quickly removed his hand. "I'm sorry…" his lips continued to peck her neck, but his hands behaved.

"It's fine…"

They both jumped when the front door popped open. Claire's eyes instantly scanned the doorway, but it was empty.

"We must not have closed it all the way," Jaden grinned and didn't waste a minute getting back to what he had been doing.

"Yea…" Claire felt a little confused about the door, but was distracted by Jaden's hands, which had started to wander again. "Jaden…" something just didn't feel right. Doors don't open on their own. "Jaden…stop…"

He paused for a moment to look at her. "What's wrong? Am I moving too fast?"

She hesitated. She didn't know how to answer in a way that wouldn't upset him or make him think that she was just a childish idiot. "Umm…"

"I am, aren't I?" He sat up. "I'm sorry…"

She shook her head. "It's okay…I think that maybe we should just call it a night…"

"Oh…umm…okay." Jaden removed himself from the straddling position, stood, and scooped up his jacket. "I guess I'll just see you later then."

She nodded, not moving from the couch. "Call me tomorrow, okay?"

"I will," he promised. He leaned down to give her one last kiss before leaving. "Goodnight."

She nodded, "'Night." She watched him leave, shutting the door a little harder than necessary, before sitting up and readjusting the shirt that he had displaced. "Are you here?"

It only took a moment before Peter materialized out of his invisibility. "I didn't mean to intrude…"

"Yea you did." The slight apprehension that Claire had been feeling earlier escalated into horrified guilt when she realized that Peter had seen the show. "I can't believe you were spying on me…that was private…"

"Yea, it really was."

"How long were you watching?" She stood and picked up the jacket that she now wished she'd never let him remove. "How long were you standing there?"

"Not long," he assured her. "You saw the door open."

"Yea," she was relieved that he at least hadn't witnessed the majority of her fun with Jaden. She stood and headed toward the bedroom. "I think I'm going to head to bed."

"Claire wait," he stopped her.

"Look, I don't want a lecture…I don't even want to know what you're thinking right now."

"What do you see in him?" Peter demanded, completely ignoring her protest.

"He's nice."

Peter smirked and shook his head.

"What?"

"If I hadn't come when I did, he probably would have…" Peter stopped.

"What?" Claire demanded; as much as she had protested she actually did want to know what Peter had to say.

"If he had even another minute he probably would have raped you."

"Rape?" Claire raised her voice. "God Peter, are you delusional? He wouldn't have raped me!"

"Claire he had his hand up your shirt!"

"What makes you think I didn't want it there?"

Peter was so shocked by her statement that he couldn't come up with a response.

"I'm not saying that I did…" she told him quietly. "I did ask him to stop…"

Peter's eyes showed his concern. "See what I mean…"

"And he did." Claire cut him off. "He stopped when I asked him to, and he left when I asked him to. He would never hurt me."

"Fine, if you say so." He decided it would be a good idea to drop the subject before Claire became even more upset with him. "Goodnight."

Claire didn't respond; she just turned in silence and shut herself in the bedroom.


	36. New People, New Possibilities

_A/N: Happy Thanksgiving to all those who have enjoyed turkey with me today! I hope all your days were beautiful. I hope you enjoy this update and review!! XOXO_

NIKI, DL, MICAH, & MOLLY

NEW YORK

Micah and Molly sprinted into the bedroom, on instant alert when Niki screamed.

"Mom!" Micah skidded to a stop in the doorway of his parents' bedroom when he saw that nothing was actually wrong, but his parents looked rather content in a hug.

Molly looked a little concerned about interrupting and started backing out of the room. "I'm sorry to interrupt…"

"Oh kids, no it's fine!"

"Is everything okay?" Micah asked.

"Yea, everything's great baby." Niki broke from DL and turned to the kids. "Your dad's got himself a job!" She told them. "Isn't that great?"

Micah grinned at his dad and gave him a congratulatory hug. "What are you going to be doing?"

"Nothing too exciting." DL told him. "I'm going to be working construction."

"But it's a job—a good job—and that's what really matters." Niki pecked another kiss on her husband's cheek. "And I'll be starting my job tomorrow…" she smiled at the kids. "I knew life here would be better! Everything is just working so well." She noticed Molly still hesitating in the doorway and not joining in the excited mood. "Is something wrong, sweetheart?"

Molly shook her head and forced a smile. "No, it's nothing. I've just got a headache."

"Oh, would you like to take an aspirin?" Niki offered and then reconsidered, wondering if these headaches were frequent and how Claire dealt with them. "Do you usually take something for a headache?"

Molly shook her head. "I've never had one like this before."

"Well, let's get you something and see if it helps." She took Molly in to the kitchen. "Can you swallow pills?"

Molly nodded, "I had to learn when the doctors were working on me."

"Good, then take this and then we're going out to celebrate." She handed Molly an aspirin and a glass of water. "And we need to get you kids supplies for school."

Micah and DL had left the bedroom and joined them in the kitchen.

"Who's going to take us to school?" Micah asked when he heard his mom mention school supplies. "Since both of you will be working now…"

"Well, my shift doesn't start until noon every day, so I can drive you there…" she paused to consider how the kids would get home. "Isn't there a bus you could take?"

"It's not very far." DL reminded her. "They could walk a couple blocks."

Niki frowned. "Do you think that would be safe?"

"Sure, DL shrugged. "It's not a bad neighborhood."

"It's not exactly a good neighborhood though either," Niki insisted.

"They'll be safe if they walk home together—straight home you two." DL mussed his son's hair. "I don't want to hear about you two detouring into the city, understood?"

"Yes sir." Micah grinned and ducked out of his dad's reach. "Can we come to work with you sometime?" He asked, turning to his mom eagerly.

"Maybe," Niki smiled. "If you ever don't have school, or maybe after school sometimes. We'll see." Her head ached with pain, but she was determined not to show it to her family. "Honey, why don't you get the keys. I'll be right back…"

"Is everything okay?" DL didn't miss the faded smile on his wife's face.

"Yea, I'm just going to grab my purse."

"Okay," he gathered the kids as Niki headed back into the bedroom. She shut the door of the adjoining bathroom for privacy before shuffling through the medicine cabinet behind the mirror. Hidden behind a large bottle of cough syrup, she found DL's old prescription. His pain from the bullet wound had subsided a week ago, but instead of throwing out the extra pain pills, Niki had hoarded them. Now she took one, swallowing it with a handful of water from the sink.

"Mom! We're waiting!"

"Coming baby." Niki called back. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, praying for the pills to work quickly so she could enjoy the day with her family. No one knew about her headaches and she wanted it to stay that way, or rather she needed it to stay that way. She wasn't ready to face what they meant.

"Oh come on Niki."

Niki's eyes flew open to locate the voice. "No…" She gritted her teeth and shut her eyes again.

"How long do you think you can hide it from them? DL's not stupid. He's going to realize that you're lying." The smug voice laughed. "How long do you think you can fight me? The headaches aren't really worth it, are they?"

"Go away." Niki opened her eyes again and glared into the mirror. "I don't need you anymore. I am stronger now."

"Keep telling yourself that sweetie."

"You're never getting out again."

"We'll see about that…"

"Mom!" Micah was knocking on the door now. "Okay baby." She glanced back at the mirror once more and smiled with relief: Jessica was gone…for now.

SASHA, MOHINDER

SEATTLE

"No, I'm serious, he's really good." Sasha covered her mouth with her hand, sheltering her phone conversation. "I read through all of Michael's charts. He's been fighting the virus for months, getting steadily worse. But three weeks with dr. Suresh and it's almost entirely out of his system." She glanced over her shoulder as an orderly ambled down the hall toward her. "Well…I do sort of admire him…I mean I admire his research…no of course not…I wouldn't…stop worrying so much."

"Sasha?"

She turned when Mohinder called to her from down the hall. She smiled and held up one finger, signaling that she was busy. He nodded and retreated back into Michael's room.

"He's calling for me. I will…now she hasn't yet…I'm sure she will…I could always motivate her…yes absolutely. All right. I'll call you tomorrow…goodbye Mr. Okenberg." Sasha hung up her phone and hurried back to where Mohinder was waiting.

"Is everything all right?" Mohinder asked.

"Yes, of course. I was just speaking with my employer. He is very pleased with the patient's progress." She told him. "Though he is curious as to why you are focusing so much on this one particular case."

"I beg your pardon?"

She pulled out a folder and handed it to him. "This is evidence of the virus existing in several different patients in five different countries, and yet you seem to care only for Mr. Monroe."

"I…I wasn't aware." Mohinder's eyes creased as he scanned the numerous detailed accounts of others with the foreboding symptoms.

"Yes you were. I told you before, but you chose to ignore me," she reminded him. "Anyway, now that you have the proof in front of you, what are you going to do?"

Mohinder hesitated. He didn't know how well Michael would fare without him there, but he couldn't neglect the others.

"Come now Dr. Suresh, we both know what you have to do."

Mohinder frowned, puzzled by her insistence. "What's in it for you?"

"I'm sorry?"

"You said your company asked you to come to assist me because you were familiar with the virus, so shouldn't you be content with wherever I choose to remain?"

She cocked her head to the left and her lips turned up slightly. "Dr. Suresh, up until now I have been patient with you because I believe in the good you are doing. Unfortunately, now I have to be a bit more firm with you." She motioned for him to step out of the room with her in case Michael woke up and could overhear them. "My employer sent me here to work with you in locating and healing the infected. What happens to them once they are healed will no longer be any of your concern."

"What exactly should I assume that to mean?" He demanded; he instantly worried that allowing Sasha to work with him had not been a good idea.

She smiled wider, but it wasn't a reassuring smile. "You can draw whatever assumptions you like. The point is, you are not longer free to do as you will or help whomever you desire. If I say we're going to Oslo tomorrow, you will go without questions." She paused and her smile vanished. "Understand?"

"And if I don't?"

"Well, then I hope you haven't grown too attached to Mr. Monroe's sister…"

"Is that a threat?"

"Very good, Doctor." She clasped her hands together sarcastically. "And if that wasn't convincing enough, then how about I take a trip to New York and pay a visit to that little girl you're so fond of? Tell me, how does Molly enjoy living with Niki and DL?"

"Who are you?" Mohinder couldn't understand how Sasha knew so much.

"I'm your partner." Her cocky smile had returned. "But you might be better off thinking of me as your boss. So, how about you go with your girl tonight and say goodbye…for a while at least…and tomorrow we will start our work."

He nodded slowly.

"Very good, Doctor. I have a feeling you and I are going to get along just splendidly."

CLAIRE, PETER

NEW YORK

"I'll be back by four."

Peter looked up as Claire headed for the door. "Wait."

She paused with her hand on the doorknob, but didn't turn around. "What?"

"We're going to have to talk eventually," he told her. "I mean maybe not, you're pretty good at the silent game."

"I have a younger brother," she reminded him. "I can play for days."

"Claire, come on!" He stood up from the couch. "I'm sorry that I said anything about Jaden. You're right, it's not my business."

"I told you that it didn't matter."

"Then why have you barely said a word to me for almost twenty-four hours?"

She let out a breath. "I don't know."

"That's not an answer."

She glanced at the clock and shook her head. "I've got to go. I don't want to be late for my first day of school."

"Can we talk about this later?"

She nodded, "sure."

"When?" He wasn't going to let her go that easily.

"Umm, I don't know." She wasn't any happier than he was about the silence and she knew that it was important for them not to be in a fight if she was going to help him deal with his abilities, but she didn't know how to tell him what she was really feeling.

"Claire…" he started to pry into her mind.

_I wish you'd just let some things go without an explanation. You wouldn't understand what I'm feeling. You don't know everything about me…_

"What don't I know about you?"

"Stop it!" She glared at him. "Stay the hell out of my mind."

He stepped back, shocked by her fierce reaction. "I'm sorry. I just don't know how to help you or make things better between us if you aren't being honest with me."

Claire rethought her earlier outburst and took a deep breath. "Tonight, okay? We'll talk tonight."

"And you'll actually tell me what's going on with you?"

"Yes," she confirmed. "Can I go to school now?"

"Yea," he opened the door for her. "You're sure you don't want a ride?"

She nodded. "It's not that far to walk."

"Have a good day." He watched her walk down the hall to the elevator. She pressed the button and waved to him over her shoulder. He returned the wave before shutting the door and immediately pulling out his cell phone.

"_Hello?"_

"Hi…Noah, it's Peter."

"_Peter!" _Noah Bennett's voice showed that he was surprised to be getting this call. _"How've things been?" _

"Good…I mean not bad. I know you talked to Claire a few days ago when Nathan brought her to you, so I know you've been caught up on things."

"_That's true." _Nathan paused. _"Is something wrong?"_

"Not exactly," Peter hesitated. Claire would hate him if she knew what he was doing. "I wanted to talk to you about Claire actually. It's sort of personal, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't let her know that this call ever took place…"

"_Of course, you have my word." _

"I was just concerned…"

"_Is she okay? Has anything happened?" _

"No, it's not anything bad," Peter assured him. "It's just she has this boyfriend and they've been getting pretty serious, but she doesn't seem very…I don't know…happy? Or comfortable maybe. Something feels wrong, but she won't talk to me about it."

"_And you think she talks to me?" _

"No, not necessarily. I was just wondering about her past relationships. What sort of relationships she's used to, I guess. I don't know what I'm supposed to do when I come home and find them together…" He stopped realizing that he probably said too much.

"_Find them together?" _Noah repeated loudly.

Peter sighed. "Nothing happened. I interrupted them…"

"_But they were in a position that implied something could have happened if you hadn't come home?" _

"Sort of…" Peter agreed. "Claire asked him to leave, but I got the feeling that something was wrong."

"_Peter, I appreciate you calling me with this concern. Claire sometimes likes to think that being indestructible makes her invulnerable." _

"Yea, I've noticed."

"_There is something you should know about her last boyfriend…" _

……………

"Honey I'm home!" Claire laughed at herself as she dropped her schoolbag by the door and headed for the kitchen.

"Honey?" Peter emerged from the balcony.

"I'm sorry, I've just always wanted to say that to somebody." She retrieved a diet coke from the fridge and tapped her nails twice on the metal top before flipping up the tab and piercing the can with a loud _pop!_ She sucked the escaped soda from the crevice around the top of the can. "So, are we going to talk now?"

"I talked to your dad today."

"Oh? How is he? How are Heidi and the boys?"

Peter shook his head. "Not Nathan. I talked to your other dad."

"You did? Why?"

"I have had a lot of questions and I didn't think I'd get the truth from you."

"Are you serious?" Claire's eyes grew wide. "You called my dad to interrogate him about me? What hell gives you that right?"

"Exactly this kid of attitude. Claire, I'm worried about you. When I met you, you were the gentlest and kindest kid in the world…but now you're…I don't know. You seem different."

"Really? You think?" She glared at him. "A lot's changed since you met me, Peter. I almost died, you almost died, God, I almost killed you! That sort of stuff changes someone you know."

"I know Claire. It should. It's not just that though. When you left your dad a few weeks ago, you wanted to find out the truth. You wanted a purpose."

"And now you think I don't?"

"I don't know. It sort of feels like all you want is a life of a normal teenager with the hot older boyfriend…"

"Is it so bad to want to be normal?" She asked. "Besides, I haven't lost my purpose or whatever. I still want to know who I am and why I'm different and what that will mean for my future, and I'm still trying to help you to understand and control all your abilities, but in the meantime, why can't I enjoy a date every now and then?"

Peter shuffled his feet in the thick carpet. "I'm just not sure if Jaden's such a safe idea for you."

"Safe?" Claire frowned. "Oh my god. Dad told you about Brody." When Peter didn't answer, she knew it was true. "Look, I appreciate whatever it is you're trying to do here by playing big brother, or father, or whatever, but I don't need it from you. Jaden's not Brody. He would never try to hurt me."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I just am!"

_That's not good enough for me. _Peter knew he wasn't going to win this debate with her, so he gave up and promptly changed the subject, which sometimes helped her into a better mood. "I was working on the ability I took from Niki today. Do you want to see?"

Claire sighed, "I don't know Peter…"

"Come on, please? It's awesome. I'm like Superman."

She smiled a little at the visual her mind created of Peter in tights and a cape. "Fine."

He led her in to the bathroom and positioned himself in front of the bed. "Ready?" He waited for her nod before he bent his knees, fixed his hands under the edge of the bed and lifted. He soon had the end of the bed in the air, level with his shoulders.

"Wow…" Claire grinned. "I am impressed." She moved to the front of the bed. "Now work on keeping it steady." She told him as she crawled on to the bed and started climbing vertically to the end he was lifting. "Don't let the added weight throw you of."

"You don't weigh anything."

"I am putting pressure on it. I can tell because you're frowning. Concentrate," she demanded. "Now, when I count to three, you're going to keep the bed at this height, but I also want you to focus on your invisibility."

"Claire…"

"I don't want any excuses. You are capable of more than one ability at a time, if you just weren't so afraid to try." She gripped the edge of the bed more tightly as she started to slip down. "Just focus. One…two…don't drop me…three!"

Closing his eyes, Peter's thoughts drifted to Claude as he focused on his invisibility. The bed began to feel heavy thought and he quickly pulled Niki's strength back to mind, trying not to lose Claude's power at the same time. After what felt like an eternity, he heard Claire squeal and when he opened his eyes, she was smiling.

"Am I doing it? Am I invisible?"

"Yes!"

"Really?" He suddenly lost his strength and the bed clunked on the ground. Claire bounced off, but stood with a smile still strong.

"Next time you'll do it for longer. This was a start though." She paused. "Peter? Peter you can stop with the invisibility now. It's kind of freaking me out." She waited, but when she saw the balcony door open she knew he wasn't listening. "Peter!"

"Claude?"

"Who?" Claire turned in the direction of Peter's voice, but she had no idea where he was anymore.

"What are you doing here?" Peter was clearly not speaking to her.

"Umm…just checkin' in mate."

Claire gasped at the foreign voice that spoke from the balcony. "Peter, please tell me what's going on!"

He finally materialized, but he wasn't alone.

"Who are you?" Claire asked the unfamiliar man. He was tall and his face was unshaven; she thought he looked almost homeless.

"This is Claude," Peter introduced. "I got my invisibility from him."

"Oh!" Claire smiled. "Well, it's nice to meet you." She held her hand out to him as he stepped into the room with Peter. "I'm Claire."

"I know who you are."

"You do?"

"I was with your dad when he got you."

Peter frowned. "You never told me that."

"You never asked, mate." Claude shrugged. "You don't know everything about me."


	37. Unveiling

_A/N: Okay advice needed…after this section with Nathan…do you want me to actually show the conversation with the boys or should I just skip to afterwards? _

NATHAN

NEW YORK

"So, why not tonight?" Nathan asked. "I thought you were excited to meet the kids."

"_I am." _Claire insisted. _"I really am…but something's come up…" _

"Something?" Nathan frowned. Claire had wanted to meet Simon and Monty for so long and now she finally had an opportunity and she was backing out. "What exactly has come up?"

"_Umm…I don't know how to explain it, but we have an unexpected visitor. His name is Claude and he's sort of a friend of Peter's. Anyway, he's got an ability too and he used to work with my dad…" _

"Claude?" Nathan repeated the name to himself three times. It sounded familiar, but he didn't know why. "So, you'd rather stay and visit with this guy then come over here?"

"_No…it's not like that," _Claire protested quickly. _"I do really want to come and meet the boys, but Claude knows things…I think he could know stuff about me…" _

"I don't understand. What could he know about you?"

"_He was there the night of the fire, when I was supposed to have died. Maybe he knows who started the fire, or why…" _

"Claire…" Nathan wasn't sure why this part of her history interested her so much, but she seemed determined to discover every minute detail of her past in order to figure out her future.

"_I know you don't understand, but it's important to me to find out what he knows…" _She stopped and he could hear her talking to someone else in the background, but he couldn't make out what she was saying. A moment later she returned to the phone conversation with a sigh. _"Never mind Nathan. I'll be there in an hour." _

"Oh…okay," Nathan wondered about the sudden change. "I'll see you soon, then." When he hung up the phone, Nathan sat still in his desk chair for a moment, reflecting on the unusual conversation he had just finished with his daughter; his wife soon interrupted him.

"So, should I have Sara prepare for five tonight?" Heidi asked as she peered into her husband's office once she was sure he had finished his phone call.

"Yes, Claire will be here within the hour." Nathan assured her.

Heidi smiled. "Good, the boys are excited to meet her."

"Have you told them who she is yet?"

"No, I told you that was your job."

"Right…" Nathan had hoped she would fold and do it herself, but clearly it was going to be left to him. He recognized it was his responsibility, but he didn't have any idea how to explain to his sons that they had a sister with a different mother. They weren't babies, they would undoubtedly understand, but that was half the trouble. He wasn't sure he wanted them to know that much about his past. He sighed and nodded to his wife, "All right, you can send them down…"

"Now?" Heidi glanced at the clock. "You're going to tell them now?"

"Well, it's probably a good idea for me to tell them before Claire gets here."

"Of course…"

"And if I tell them now, they'll have plenty of time to ask whatever questions they might have." Nathan stood from his desk and approached his wife. "Do you want to be there when I tell them?"

"No, I don't really." She didn't take any time to answer.

"Okay, then will you have them come down to the living room? I think that would be the best environment…"

"I'm not sure the place you tell them is going to have much effect on the news."

Nathan sighed. Heidi was being much more difficult than he had expected her to be. "Heidi, please. This is hard enough for me to do without your persistent negativity."

"I'm sorry," she paused, considered him for a moment, and then kissed his cheek. "It's going to be fine. The boys have always wanted a sister. They're going to love Claire."

"Thank you."

"Go and wait in the living room. I'll send the boys down."

MICAH & MOLLY

NEW YORK

"So, when's your mom going to be home?"

"Not until late tonight." Micah started pulling books from his backpack as Molly made herself comfortable on the couch.

"And your dad's out late too, right?"

"Yep."

"Good…"

"Why?" Micah evaluated Molly's expression. "What are you thinking?"

"Exactly what you're thinking."

"That we should get started on our homework and have dinner ready for them when they get home."

"No," Molly shook her head and shoved her books aside. "I think we should practice."

"Practice?" Micah hesitated. He knew exactly what she meant, and he knew that he wanted to, but his parents had laid down rules and he didn't like to break their rule. "I don't think we should…"

"Come on! They don't have to know. Besides, Dr. Suresh always told me it was important to practice my ability so that I can have confidence in knowing I can do it any time I need to."

"But my mom and dad don't want us to use our abilities. They said it could be dangerous."

"How? You're power's harmless."

"But if someone found out…someone who shouldn't…"

"No one's going to see us. We'll stay inside. Come on! Don't you want to know how much you can do?"

"Fine," Micah gave in.

"Great! Your first."

"What should I do?"

"I don't know," Molly shrugged. "What sort of stuff do you usually do?"

"Nothing big really…" He thought about how he had changed all the votes for Mr. Petrelli. That had been the largest feat he had ever tried. He remembered how tired he had been after. "I could order us pizza online."

Molly rolled her eyes, "so could I." She thought for a minute and then smiled. "You can talk to electrical things that are connected, right?" He nodded. "So isn't everything in this apartment technically connected through the wiring?"

"I guess."

Molly pointed to an empty outlet near the floor. "Make the TV turn on."

"I don't know if that will work."

"Try."

Micah moved off the couch and knelt beside the outlet. Hesitating only briefly, he placed his hand over it and closed his eyes to concentrate. Molly stared at the TV in anticipation. Micah focused all his energy on the TV, letting his mind speak to the wires. After three minutes he almost gave up, but then Molly squealed and the TV roared to life.

"You did it!" She clapped her hands.

"I did!" Micah was stunned, but also exhausted. His head ached slightly, but his excitement made him ignore it. "Your turn." He knew he could turn off the TV the same way, but he was too strained to even attempt it.

"Okay, who should I find?"

"Have you ever looked for someone you didn't know?"

Molly shook her head. "I usually have at least a picture of someone."

"Then I'm going to give you a name, and you're going to find her without seeing her first."

"Okay," Molly sat up straight on the couch. "Get me that map."

Micah retrieved the atlas book that Molly used when she needed to find someone and placed it open on her lap. "Her name's Tina Valencia."

Molly said the name out loud twice before closing her eyes and focusing on it She emptied her mind of every other face and thought only of Tina. Her hand hovered above the atlas and after a few moments she started flipping the pages, shuffling through regions of North America. After a few more moments a house popped into her mind and then the hazy form of a woman. It took longer than usual for her appearance to settle, but eventually Molly could make out her bright red hair. Her hand landed and she opened her eyes to read.

"Las Vegas." She smiled. "I saw her! She had red, curly hair and she was very pretty."

Micah nodded. "That right. And she lives in Vegas. She's my mom's best friend."

"Wow," Molly couldn't stop smiling. "That was cool! So, I can find like anyone!"

"Yea, but can you do it without a map?" Micah tested her.

"No," she answered quickly. "I mean…I don't think so."

"But you've never tried it have you?"

"Not really. I mean at first I guess I did, but then I realized that I needed a map. That's the best way."

"But not necessarily the only way," Micah persisted. "Try it again. Focus on someone you know and try to locate them without a map."

"How?"

"Visualize them and their surroundings until you have a solid picture of where they are. Look for markers like street names or something."

Molly nodded, taking in what he was suggesting. "I don't think it will work…"

"You'll never know until you try."

Molly sucked in her lower lip and then shut her eyes to concentrate. Her mind automatically pulled up an image of Matt—her hero. He was the only person that she could think of that she wanted to see; she missed him more than anyone and it had been a couple weeks since she last saw him. After a couple minutes of silent focus, she visualized him walking down a sidewalk. Nothing else stood out to her, but her hand twitched, automatically searching for a map to stick a pin in.

"Focus," Micah encouraged her.

Molly frowned as she tried to focus harder on Matt's surroundings. She mentally searched for something that could indicate where he was, but nothing was materializing for her to grasp on to. Finally though, after another minute, a street sign formed above his head. And after a few more moments of concentration, she visualized the cross street as well.

"I did it!" She announced with a wide smile as she opened her eyes. "I found Matt!"

"Where is he?"

"Grove Street and Waverly."

"That's just around the corner," Micah told her. "What's he doing in our neighborhood?"

Molly's eyes widened. "He's really that close?"

"Yea."

She leapt off the couch and sprinted towards the door.

"Molly, wait!" Micah snatched his keys from the table and darted after her. "We shouldn't leave the apartment."

"I have to see him!" She insisted, already running down the hallway towards the stairs that would take them to the street.

Micah shut the door and locked it quickly before chasing after her. By time he reached the steps she was heading down the sidewalk. "Molly wait! You're going the wrong way!"

She halted and turned, staring at him as though contemplating whether or not he was telling the truth. He pointed in the other direction and nodded and she gave in, turning to run back in the other direction; Micah followed her swiftly. They ran together around the corner and two blocks down until Molly spotted the street signs she had seen in her mind.

"This is it, he should be here!"

"Maybe you read the signs wrong." Micah glanced up at the street signs mounted to a telephone pole above their heads.

"No, I'm sure I didn't!" Molly frowned and looked around anxiously; she was determined not to be wrong. A moment later the kids spun as they heard the squeal of tires rounding the corner.

"Molly, maybe we should go…" Micah tugged at her hand as two cars sped toward them, the car in the back had a single police light flashing red from the roof.

"Wait…" Molly peered at the cop car and her face lit up. "That's Matt! He's a cop again!"

"Molly really, we shouldn't be here. It could be dangerous."

When the cars swerved dangerously close to the sidewalk where the kids were standing, Molly agreed and allowed him to drag her back a few steps. She didn't leave though. Instead she convinced Micah to hide with her in the opening of an alleyway where they could still see the street. Matt had managed to speed up and cut off the other car and so now both cars were stopped and the passengers were evacuating. Molly gasped when Matt pulled a gun and aimed it at the guy he was pursuing.

"Molly seriously!" Micah was whispering now and he still sounded anxious, but he was just as riveted to the spot as Molly was. Neither of them would leave until they saw the scene play out.

"Stay right where you are!" Matt shouted to the man who was standing by his car, his eyes shifting speedily debating his escape. "You are under arrest…" The man darted to the left and Matt pulled the trigger on his gun, landing a bullet in the other man's shoulder.

Molly covered her eyes instinctively with her hands, while Micah watched, unable to turn away. A moment later the sound of sirens filled the street and five more squad cars pulled up to surround Matt and the now wounded man.

"He was trying to escape," Matt informed the new arrivals. "Someone want to cuff him before he succeeds?"

Three cops cornered the man and twisted his arms around behind his back to secure him in cuffs; they ignored his complaints about his wounded arm, telling him he'd be taken care of once they got him behind bars.

"You want to ride in with him?" One of the cops asked Matt.

He was about to answer when he frowned and looked away from the cops. He seemed to be listening to something, but nobody was saying anything. A moment later he turned his attention back to the cop and shook his head. "No, you go ahead. I'm off duty in a few minutes and I've got to get home."

"All right," the cop nodded and ushered the handcuffed victim into the back of a different cop car. "Let's bring him in. See you later Matt!"

Matt watched all the cop cars pull away, waiting until he was alone in the street with his car and the man's now abandoned vehicle, which they would have a toe truck come and retrieve. His eyes scanned the empty streets and he seemed to be listening again. Finally he gave up and just spoke out loud: "I know you're there. I can hear what you're thinking Molly."

Molly gasped and slowly crept out from their hiding place. Micah followed. "Hi Matt!" She broke into a run and leapt into his outstretched arms.

"What are you kids doing here?" He demanded. He hugged her, but seemed reluctant to show his excitement in seeing her.

"I found you in my head and I wanted to come see you!"

"Okay, first of all, you shouldn't use your abilities without good reason. Second, you shouldn't be running around the city by yourselves." He glanced at Micah. "Where're your mom and dad?"

"Working," Micah answered. "Molly and I just got home from school."

"Well, I'm pretty sure they wouldn't be happy if they heard that the two of you ran into the middle of a police operation that involved shooting!"

"We were staying out of the way…" Molly protested.

"It could have been very dangerous for you both." Matt reprimanded them.

"I just wanted to see you. I miss you."

"I know sweetie," Matt knelt so that he was eye level with her. "I miss you too, and I'm sorry I haven't gotten to see more of you. My new job keeps me busy…"

"Are you a police officer again?"

"Yep, I've been hired with the NYPD." He smiled at the grin of pride she was giving him. "Next time you want to see me though, can you promise to just call me instead of running off to find me?"

Molly nodded.

"Good, now let's get you two back home."

SYLAR

LONDON

"_Mr. Sylar, it's good to hear from you. I was starting to worry." _

"About what?" Sylar clenched the phone tightly, trying not to overreact to the domineering tone he heard in Mr. Okenberg's voice.

"_About you,"_ Mr. Okenberg answered calmly. _"I have to admit that Angela and I have had our doubts about your loyalty."_

"Have you?" Sylar tried to sound unconcerned. "I don't see why. I have done everything that you have asked of me. Really, I have been the perfect employee."

"_That's true, you have been very obedient up to this point…"_

"And you think this might change?" Sylar was starting to resent his employers, not to mention everything they had been asking him to do. "If you have a problem with my performance then please don't hesitate to tell me, but don't tiptoe around the subject." He glanced at the clock. "I really don't have time to discuss this right now."

"_Oh? Is there something more important for you to be doing?" _Mr. Okenberg implied plenty with his tone. "_Because I was under the impression that you had nothing to do except what we asked of you." _

Sylar caught his mistake too late. "I'm sorry. It's nothing important really."

"_Are you sure about that? Are we keeping you from something, Mr. Sylar…or perhaps it is someone…" _

Sylar wondered how much they knew about his relationship with Emily; they definitely seemed to know something. "No, there's nothing…nobody."

"_Good, because we have another assignment for you." _

"Already?" Sylar spoke without thinking.

"_Is that a problem?" _

"No…" Sylar thought about the one he had just returned from; the mission without a purpose. He wondered if this would be another of those seemingly pointless murders.

"_Why are you hesitating?" _

"I'm not."

"_Good, then you will be receiving instructions by tomorrow." _

"I'll be waiting." He didn't hang up yet. "One question…"

"_Of course."_

"This assignment…will I be acquiring a new ability? I mean will the person I be meeting have abilities this time?"

"_Does it matter?" _

Sylar had no answer. "I'll be waiting for my orders." He hung up the phone and gripped it tightly in his fist. For a moment he thought of crushing it, but he eventually set it down.

Sylar's feelings about his job had been changing in the past week. He felt that Angela and Mr. Okenberg had somehow trapped him in a life he had never asked for. The murder had started out as something that he agreed to simply because he knew he was good at it, and the thought of acquiring some new powers from the undeserving pleased him. Now, however, he had started to lose the excitement that it had once given him. He had murdered two people in the past two weeks who showed no sign of having abilities. He couldn't justify that and neither could his employers; they had given him no explanation and he didn't like being controlled.


	38. Family, Friends, and Those in the Middle

_A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I know this one took a while, but after Thanksgiving I've just been swamped with finals. I have one three days left of school though and then I'll be free for a month, so that will give me plenty of time to write! But, since I only have three days left, I'm afraid I'll have quite a gap in updates. This next week is going to be hard for me, so I'm taking a little break from writing. Hopefully I'll have something up by next weekend though. _

_A glimpse at what's coming up next: _

- Hiro Nakamura back in the present—where he belongs in my opinion.

- Sylar must make a hard choice…

- Candace!!!

- a new character named Sam. (dedicated to my lovely reader: TroypayisLOVE)

- Heidi Petrelli gets curious

- Angela Petrelli's a bitch…but what else is new?

- Mohinder becomes a little bit of an idiot…temporarily

- More is revealed about Sasha's connections

- Peter acts out

_All right, that's just to keep you curious and interested! Let me know if there's anything specific you'd like to see. I know I'm getting a lot of requests for more "paire" but it has to go slow or it wouldn't be plausible. Don't worry though, it's coming…THANKS for the reviews! Please keep them coming!!! XOXOXOXOXO_

THE PETRELLI'S HOME

NEW YORK

"No, no, no!"

"Come on loser!"

"Yea, come on, we're totally kicking your butt!"

Nathan followed the exhilarated voices into the boys' playroom. He found them in a heated X-box battle with Claire sitting on the floor between them, equally competitive. He lingered in the doorway, observing his three children play together. He couldn't have wished for a better night. The boys had accepted the idea of having a sister a little with a little hesitation and they showed it when Claire arrived for dinner. Heidi had been right though, they had always wanted a sister and after an hour of dinner conversation the boys were crazy for her.

"Hey, no fair! I had that…" Simon was whining about some aspect of the game that Nathan didn't understand.

Claire leaned towards the screen, aggressively punching the buttons on her controller. "You've got to be faster, Mister!" A moment later she raised her hands in victory as the two boys sulked at their losses. She grinned at the boys excitedly before glancing at the door and spotting Nathan; she lowered her arms sheepishly, blushing at her childish display. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough," Nathan entered the room. "I hate to have to break up this fun, but boys it's past your bedtime."

"No!" They complained in unison.

"Boys," Nathan used his warning tone and they stood obediently.

"Will you be here when we wake up tomorrow?" Monty asked Claire as he and his brother headed toward the hallway.

Claire smiled at the boys. "I don't think so boys. I have to go home."

"Why isn't this your home?" They wanted to know.

"Umm," Claire didn't know how to answer.

Nathan picked up on her uncertainty. "She has her own place right now boys, but she'll come back some other time, okay?"

The boys nodded.

"Can I have a hug goodbye?" Claire asked.

The boys nodded again and they each gave her a hug before scurrying off to their shared bedroom down the hall.

Once they were alone, Claire checked her cell phone, automatically looking for voicemails from either Jaden or Peter. "It's getting late."

"Yea," Nathan wasn't ready to let her go.

"I should probably get going…Peter's probably waiting."

"Claire…" He hesitated. "You know, you could stay here…tonight."

She smiled slightly. "Thanks, but I should go."

"Peter's a grown man Claire. He doesn't need you to watch him every second."

She sighed. "I know you don't understand. Nobody does really. It's not about him needing me, it's just that he's going through a lot and I like to be able to do something for him."

"But what are you doing for him really?"

"What do you mean? I'm helping him get his powers under control," Claire explained. "If he had someone who cared enough to help him earlier he might never have exploded."

Nathan looked like she had slapped him. "Are you saying that what happened is my fault?"

"What?" Claire hadn't meant it like that, but thinking about it she realized how it must have sounded. "No…Nathan I didn't mean that…"

"I care about my brother. I care about him more than I care about myself." Nathan told her. "Before though…you don't understand what it was like for me to find out about my abilities…about our abilities…I didn't know how to deal with everything!"

"I know, I wasn't blaming you," she repeated. "I know that it was hard…I can only imagine with the election and everything…I'm just saying that Peter's been feeling sort of alone in this, and I can relate. I know how it feels to have people get hurt because of me."

Nathan frowned. She had never told him much about her past; usually it was something she didn't choose to talk about. "Maybe this isn't the right time for this kind of conversation, Claire."

She nodded. "You're probably right."

"I wanted tonight to end on a positive note…"

"Me too," Claire agreed. "I _did_ have a good time." She tried to turn the conversation into something more lighthearted. "I really like your boys."

"They seemed to like you too." Nathan followed her upbeat lead. "I'll get you a cab."

"It's not that far, I could walk," Claire suggested as she headed down the stairs toward the front door.

"No," Nathan insisted as he followed her. "It's not safe for you to be walking alone at this time of night."

"Peter's only a few blocks away."

"Claire, it's late."

She smiled at how much he was starting to sound like her real dad. Maybe one day they would be able to have that relationship that they both wanted—without all the awkward tension that their pasts inevitably forced upon them.

"Okay, a cab sounds good," she gave in and he smiled.

"Are you going?" Heidi met up with them at the base of the stairs.

"Yea, it's getting late." Claire wasn't sure how to end the evening.

"It was good seeing you again Claire." Heidi told her. "I do hope you'll come around more often."

"Really?" Claire thought that Heidi sounded earnest, but she still wished she had Peter's mind-reading abilities so she could know what her "step-mom" really thought.

"Yes," Heidi confirmed. "Really. The boys really enjoyed having you here tonight, and so did I. Don't be a stranger."

Claire grinned and, without thinking, gave Heidi a hug. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Heidi accepted the hug easily.

HIRO

JAPAN 1600s

"You have done well here, Hiro."

Hiro kept his head bowed as he received Kensei's benevolent compliment. "Thank you Sir. I have had a good teacher."

"You have not only served me well, but you have excelled in the training I have given you, and you have rescued my love."

Hiro dared a glance up at this point and he caught the brief glance that passed between Kensei and the princess; he looked down again, feeling that he was intruding upon a private moment of theirs.

"And for this, you will forever have my gratitude and respect," Kensei continued.

"And mine as well," Princess Kaori spoke up.

"It was an honor," Hiro answered honestly. He looked up finally and noticed they were both staring at him sincerely.

"The honor was ours in having the opportunity to meet you," Princess Kaori told him. "But now you must leave."

"I'm sorry?"

"You must go now. It's time for you to return to your own time and your own place."

"But I'm not finished with my training…" Hiro looked to Kensei for confirmation.

"You have learned all I can teach you," Kensei assured him. "If Kaori thinks it is time for you to return then you should heed her advice. She has ways of knowing things that we don't."

Hiro nodded. Since he brought Kaori back from her prison, he had learned more about her ability to see future events. What surprised him most about her gift was how far in to the future she could see. She didn't just see events before they happened, she saw years ahead…centuries even, if she focused hard enough.

Before Hiro had rescued her, she had been focusing very hard—hard enough to see what was to come only months from the time that Hiro belonged in. She wouldn't tell him much concerning the details of what would happen, but she told him enough to know that bad things were going to happen and it was his responsibility to stop them.

"Take my sword," Kensei bowed before Hiro now, delivering his most prized possession. "And use it wisely as you fight to protect your own people. Be the warrior that I know you are meant to be."

"I will do my best not to let you down." Hiro promised as he accepted the sword from Kensei. "Thank you for all that you have shown me."

Kensei nodded, they bowed to one another, and then let Kaori speak.

"Remember what I told you: be careful who you trust and most of all, trust yourself."

Hiro took her words of advice seriously and then bowed to her as well. "It was an honor getting to know you…both of you." He smiled slightly. "May your love continue until the stars fall from the skies."

They both smiled back at him and watched as he closed his eyes tightly in concentration and disappeared from his sight.

PETER AND CLAUDE

NEW YORK

"Thanks mate," Claude accepted the mug of steaming tea Peter had just handed him. "Do you ever notice how damn cold it can get being invisible?"

Peter cocked an eyebrow at Claude's comment. "Can't say I have. Do you really get cold?"

"Sometimes," Claude nodded and sipped the hot liquid slowly. "I think it's got something to do with the making my molecules disappear…"

"What?" Peter had to admit he'd never taken the time to consider how invisibility worked. "Our molecules disappear?"

Claude grinned at Peter. "I don't have a clue mate! I'm just messin' with you."

Peter rolled his eyes and poured boiling water into his own mug of tea. "So, are you going to tell me what this surprise visit's about anytime soon? I mean the last time I saw you, you weren't exactly eager to pursue a friendship."

"That's when I thought you were going to be exploding the city." Claude took another sip from his tea. "But you've clearly mastered that little problem…"

"Yea, sort of."

"What do you mean? Are you still having problems? Should I be worried for my life here?" Claude persisted.

"No, I haven't had any problems with the whole nuclear thing, but I haven't gotten all my other powers under control yet." Peter explained, "Claire's been working with me, but it's a slow process. I don't think she's very focused."

"Why not?"

"Well, she's got this boyfriend…"

"You need to protect her," Claude ordered suddenly.

"I'm sorry?" Peter frowned at Claude's unexpected outburst.

"She's just a kid. She can't take care of herself."

"You think I don't know that?" Peter asked. "Besides, she's not as incapable as you might think. She's young, sure, but she's very responsible and her ability…"

"She can regenerate, but she's not immortal."

Peter paused for a moment, considering Claude's comment. "How do you know so much about Claire? I never told you what her ability was."

"I used to work with her father, remember."

"Yea, but Noah didn't even know about her ability until this year," Peter commented. "There's no way he could have told you while you worked together."

"Look mate, I don't have to explain everything to you right now."

"Actually, _mate_, you sort of do. You took me under your wing, and I thought I could trust you to help me deal with my problem, but the second it become difficult for you, you bailed. I haven't heard from you in weeks and now all of a sudden you're back and once again telling me how to take care of my niece, how to deal with my powers, and you won't even tell me what this is all about…"

"Peter," Claude sat up straighter in his chair, taking on a much more serious tone. "You don't know what shit I've had to put up with in my life because of Noah Bennett and the people that he works for. When I learned that they were on to you…on to us…I had no choice mate. If I'd stayed around things would've gotten a lot worse for the both of us."

"Yea, I get that, but what about now? Why'd you come back?"

Claude hesitated. "I'll explain it all to you when the timing's right, but that's not now. You're just going to have to trust me on this one."

"No, that's not going to be good enough for me." Peter argued. "You've been here for three hours now and I've been patient. I've indulged your curiosity and showed you the extent of the powers that I can control, I told you all about what happened after you left, and I've even fed you. I was patient, because I was pretty sure that eventually you'd get to the point. Now it's time for you to give me something."

Claude shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't do that, mate."

"Would you stop calling me that? I'm not your mate! I think you've made it pretty clear that we aren't friends."

"Oh come on, don't be like that."

"Like what?" Peter hated how juvenile this argument was, but he was having a hard time trusting Claude's sudden reappearance in his life. "Look, I'm sorry, but if you aren't going to trust me enough to tell me the truth, then I can't trust having you here. Like you said, I've got Claire to worry about now."

Claude wasn't able to hide the hurt in his expression, but he stood graciously, placed the mug of tea on the table, and headed to the door. "I'm sorry you feel that way. I'm not leaving town Peter. Not for a while. If you change your mind, which I'm confident you will, I'll be around."

Peter didn't answer.

"In the meantime though, be careful who you trust mate."

"That's exactly what I'm doing."

Claude stared at Peter and Peter stared back, equally serious and cold. Neither spoke. There didn't seem to be anything more to say after the attitude that Peter had suddenly adapted. They might have stayed that way for a while if Claire hadn't interrupted at that moment by bursting through the door, spreading about the addictive vivaciousness that only she was capable of.

"Hello!" She greeted them both excitedly. "I hope you guys had as good a night as I did!" Claire shut the door again and looped her purse over one of the hooks that protruded from the coat rack.

Claude caved. His shoulders slumped and he dropped his head. "Sorry to bother you, mate," he said to Peter before turning to Claire who was still standing by the door. "Good to see you Claire. You've grown up really well."

Claire was puzzled at his compliment, as well as the strange mood that the men seemed consumed with, but she smiled at Claude anyway. "Thanks! Are you leaving already though? I was sort of hoping we could talk…about my dad."

Claude's left eye twitched. "Ah…I don't think that would be the best idea."

"You're the only person I've ever met who knew him back then!" She explained. "I just have so many questions about his job and about how he adopted me…"

Claude shook his head. "I'm really not the best one to talk to about all that. The best of luck to you though." He glanced over his shoulder to Peter. "Take care."

Claire stepped aside as Claude moved to the door. He caught her eye once more and smiled slightly before disappearing into his invisibility once again. The door opened and then shut again and Peter nodded to Claire, signaling they were truly alone.

"What was that all about?" Claire asked. "I thought you two were like friends or something."

"We're not friends. We never really were," Peter corrected her.

"Okay, but still…"

"He's a strange guy," Peter explained simply. "I never know what his purpose is, or what his motive is for that matter. At this point I think we're better off without him."

"So, did he at least tell you why he came back?"

"No."

"Weird," Claire decided as she started to remove her jacket. "Well, I guess it doesn't really make a difference, right? I mean if it was something important he would have told you. Wouldn't he?"

"I don't know. I guess." Peter thought about it for a minute and decided he had no idea what Claude would and wouldn't do. "Whatever. So, did you have a good night?"


	39. The Secrets They Keep

_A/N: So…while I couldn't come up with any inspiration for my term paper on Virginia Woolf, I was feeling very inspired for writing this, and I think it served as the perfect distraction from finals. Though, I think I'll be regretting the time that I spent on it now when I realize how behind I am. Oh well! I hope you enjoy…and this may be my longest chapter yet, so I'm expecting lots of reviews! Please?!?! xoxoxo_

CLAUDE

NEW YORK

"Well?" Hana Gitelman stood near the window of the dank motel room they had rented; for convenience sake only they were sharing. All the lights inside were off, but light flickered through the open window from a luminescent streetlamp outside.

Claude shook his head as he entered the apartment and shut the door. Admitting that he had failed was too painful; as long as he didn't have to say it out loud it might not be necessarily true.

"Claude, come on, tell me what happened. Did he agree?"

"Not exactly," Claude hesitated. Over the past few weeks, he had gotten to know Hana well. She wasn't going to be easily appeased by his silence, but he thought it would be even worse if he told her the truth.

"What does that mean?" She pried.

"Well, I didn't exactly get around to telling him."

"What?" Her voice rose, reinforcing her already strong accent.

"He's not ready," Claude insisted. "I know him. I know how blind he is when it comes to his family. Trust me, he's not ready to hear this and if he's not ready, he won't listen easily."

"Then what are we supposed to do?" Hana asked, striding away from the window and sinking down on one of the two twin-sized beds.

"I don't know. I don't have all the answers, you know?"

Hana shook her head. "Don't take that tone with me! You're the one that dragged me all the way out here because you claimed that he would join us! What the hell are we supposed to do without him?"

Claude felt that saying 'I don't know' again would be unnecessary, so he just stayed quiet. Hana had a point. The whole plan was hinged on Peter and whether or not he would indeed join them. If he didn't, they'd be no match. He was absolutely clueless though when it came to figuring out how to convince Peter. His attachments were his weakest fault and his strongest connection—a connection that wouldn't be easy to break.

"Claude…"

"I'm thinking, all right?"

"No, Claude, I need to ask you about something else, but I don't think you want to hear it." Hana told him.

"Well? What is it?"

"You told me that once we got here you'd tell me the truth about your previous connections to these people. You said that you needed to check up on something that was taken from you a long time ago—something they took from you. I've followed you for a long time, believing in the cause and believing in you, but I won't be patient forever." She stopped when she saw the way his eyes were crinkling, forming heavy wrinkles in his forehead that she'd never seen before. "I'm sorry," she said softly. This was clearly not a topic that he was ready to discuss. "I can wait until you're ready."

"No, you should know," he decided. "It's not fair to you. You've been a great gal, comin' all this way with me, without even knowin' all the details."

"It's not about being great," Hana explained. "I really do believe in the cause. Those people ruined my life. They took everything from me. They have taken so many lives. They need to be stopped."

"You're right," Claude agreed. "And they will be. We will get Peter on our side, just as soon as the right time has come. Give me a week."

"A week?" She looked around the dingy room and sighed. "I suppose I can wait a week. I've waited this long."

"Good."

"But after a week…" she paused, a little nervous to bring up his past yet again.

"I'll tell you everything."

SYLAR

LONDON

It hadn't even been forty-eight hours since he had returned from his last assignment. That one had taken him all the way to St. Petersburg, Russia. The victim had been a man, near to his own age. Sylar had followed him for an hour before witnessing him exhibit his power. Then he had taken the power, because that is what he knew how to do. His instructions hadn't necessarily been to take the power—he was supposed to kill him, but they had said nothing about acquiring the powers for himself. Sylar didn't know why he shouldn't though; he was good at taking powers, it's how he got to where he was in life. And so he killed the man as he had been instructed, and then he had taken his ability. Usually this would make him pleased. The high he got from killing and taking on a new power was usually exhilarating—absolutely indescribable. This time though, he didn't feel excited; he wasn't even pleased. He felt angry. He felt sick. He felt…

"Hello?"

Sylar turned as the door to his apartment creaked open and she stuck her head inside as she called out to him.

"Emily!" His heart leaped as she stepped into the apartment, shutting the door behind her entrance. "I was hoping you'd stop by today."

"You were?" She smiled and waited as he approached her.

"Of course! I told you I'd be back today, so I assumed you would get the urge to stop by. If you didn't though, I would have come to see you."

"You would have?"

He nodded emphatically. "I missed you, a lot."

"I missed you too."

Sylar waited for her to move, but she was still standing by the door. All he had been able to think about the whole time he was away was Emily and how much he wanted to be back with her, holding her tightly, and kissing her all through the night. Now though, she was behaving a little strangely; she was acting almost indifferently. "Is everything okay?"

She nodded, but still didn't make a move.

"Don't I even get a kiss?"

She nodded again, but still waited for him to come nearer to her.

Sylar tried to ignore the oddity to her actions and slipped his arm around her waist, drawing her close. "Every time we're apart, I realize just how much I love you!" He pressed his lips over hers and held the kiss for a long moment before pulling away. Something about the kiss was different. The passion was there, but her lips didn't feel the same. They didn't mesh with his the same way as they usually did. _I'm probably just being paranoid. It's been a long week..._but he couldn't shake the strange feeling. "Do you love me?"

She nodded.

"Tell me. Tell me you love me! I like hearing you say my name."

She hesitated. Her eyes shifted briefly, but she finally spoke. "I love you…"

"Say my name," he begged.

"I love you Sylar."

Sylar pulled his arms from her waist quickly, shaking his head. "What the hell is this? Who are you?"

She frowned for a moment, but then her lips turned up as she recognized her mistake. "Emily doesn't know who you really are. She only knows you as Isaac Mendez. That must be painful for you to love someone who doesn't even know your real name."

"Shut up." Sylar snapped. "Who are you?"

Her lips stretched wider and she started to chuckle. Sylar watched as the air in front of him seemed to ripple and the girl standing in front of him changed. One moment she looked exactly like the Emily Banks that he was in love with and the next she was a stranger—slender with chocolate brown hair that hung straight to her shoulders.

"Hi," she winked at him and placed her hands on her hips.

"Who are you?" He repeated again.

"No need to be so rude. We're on the same side."

"The same side? I don't even know your name. Right now I'm thinking we're not the same anything." He raised his hand, lifting her a foot off the ground.

"Seriously?" She rolled her eyes. "You're seriously resorting to your abilities? I'm clearly one of your kind. You saw what I can do…"

"I did," he nodded. "And I have to say it's pretty risky of you to barge into my home, knowing what I could do to you."

She laughed. "You mean steal my ability? I don't think that would go over very well with our employers." She noticed the change in his expression. "That's right, we both work for Mr. Okenberg."

Sylar released his telekinetic hold on her and she dropped to the floor unexpectedly. "What's your name? And what are you doing here?"

"I'm Candace," she finally introduced herself. "And I'm here to make sure that you haven't changed your priorities…I don't think our bosses would like that very much."

"I haven't," he snapped.

"Are you sure?" She shook a stray piece of hair from her eye as she talked to him; her manner was informal and unbearably sarcastic. Sylar felt that if she hadn't approached him in disguise as Emily and with the intent to discover his secret, he would actually like her quite a bit.

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Hmm…" She crossed her arms and let her eyes roam over him as though mentally memorizing his appearance. "Because if I didn't know better, I'd say that you were letting your emotions get way from you."

"Thanks for the concern, but my _emotions_ are just fine."

"You sure about that?" Candace narrowed her eyes at him and grinned. The air turned misty once again and a moment later she had returned to the physical appearance of Emily. Now that Sylar knew she was a fake, he was astonished at how perfectly Candace could mimic Emily. Everything was exact, right down to the last naturally curled piece of red hair and the miniscule mole just above the right eyebrow. Staring at her, Sylar realized how much he really did miss Emily. He couldn't stop thinking about her and the last night that they had spent together, just before he had to leave for Russia.

"Stop that," he growled suddenly.

"Stop what?" She asked innocently. Even her voice sounded like Emily—the soft tone with the adorable British accent. "I thought you _loved_ me!"

"Stop it!" Sylar demanded again, this time raising his voice.

Candace giggled as she faded back into her own appearance. "Yea, you've really got your emotions under control."

Sylar scowled. "So what if I'm interested in someone? If it's against the rules, _they_ never mentioned it."

Candace shook her head. "As far as I know, it's not against the rules. That's not the point. It's not that you're interested in someone, it's that you've fallen for one of your assignments. When they sent you to London, they sort of assumed you'd be done in a day or two. You've been here for over a month."

"I like it here. They don't control where I choose to live. I still do all the assignments I'm given. I've traveled to nearly ten different countries in the past four weeks. Why should they complain if I choose to live in this one?"

Candace shrugged. "Just be sure that this is only about location and not about romance. If they find out that you've been concealing the fact that Miss Banks has exhibited an ability…"

"I'm not concealing anything!" Sylar insisted. "If they had asked about our relationship I would have told them." Even as he said it, he knew it wasn't true. "I don't think Emily has any abilities. Like you said, it's been over a month, and I haven't seen her do anything out of the ordinary. Honestly, I think she's just a regular person."

"Well, they don't," Candace told him. "They have reason to believe that she will evolve eventually, and the moment that happens, they'll be waiting for your call."

"Fine." Sylar stepped around her to open the door. "I think we're done here."

"I guess so," Candace backed up toward the door, but before leaving she hooked her arm around his neck and pulled him in for a kiss. "Thanks for the fun."

"You're not welcome."

"Ouch," she stepped out into the hall. "You really know how to make a woman swoon. I bet you don't talk to Emily like that." She laughed once more. "Of course you don't. She thinks you're Isaac Mendez, and he's a sweetheart. See, I had the pleasure of meeting the poor bastard…before you decapitated him that is…he was a nice guy, really. Sort of messed up in the girlfriend department…hmm…I guess you two do have something in common after all…"

Sylar let the door slam shut, not interested in hearing anything else that she felt necessary to say. Candace only wanted to annoy him, and she was doing a very good job at it. He didn't need her to remind him that the relationship he had with Emily wasn't real. It was painfully obvious every time they were together and she would call him by name—Isaac. He hated it, but there was nothing he could do; if he told her the truth he was certain he would lose her. Losing her was not an option.

CLAIRE

SCHOOL – NEW YORK

"Great high-kick Claire!"

Claire beamed at the compliment the cheer captain had just given her. She had been at school for less than a week and had already dazzled her way onto the cheer team; it was lucky for her they had lost one of their members due to an unexpected pregnancy. This was only her second afternoon practice with the team, but she already felt more settled than she had for the past couple weeks in New York. Cheering was something she was familiar with—something she was good at—and most of all it was something to take her mind off of everything else that was making her life difficult.

"Thanks Jenny!" She shouted back as she prepared for the next high kick of the cheer routine they were practicing.

"Now show me some of those round-offs you've been bragging about!" Jenny ordered, pointing to a stretch of field for Claire to demonstrate on.

"Bragging?" Claire gasped.

Jenny grinned and habitually shook her wispy red bangs out of her eyes. "I'm just teasing you Claire. I saw you messing around after practice yesterday. So, get moving!"

Claire obediently jogged a short distance away from the other girls, giving herself plenty of room for a display of a few round-offs for her demanding captain. "Here I go!" She announced as she prepped herself with a couple quick jumps before bounding in to a set of round-offs.

The team watched her and burst in to a round of applause once she had finished her performance. Jenny congratulated Claire with an overly enthusiastic hug, and once again gushed about how glad she was that Claire had joined the team.

After practice, the girls headed as a group toward the locker room, weaving between the throng of football players who were warming up at the other end of the field.

"So, are you ready for your first pep rally tomorrow?" Jenny asked Claire as they walked side-by-side.

"Truthfully, I'm a little nervous!" Claire confessed. "I barely know anybody here yet, but they'll all see me tomorrow…"

"It's a good way for you to get to know people," Jenny told her. "Everyone's going to love you." She glanced at the guys. "_They'll_ love you."

Claire turned her head to follow Jenny's gaze, but in the moment she had turned she collided with someone who had been running in their direction with his eyes focused on his feet.

"Watch where you're going, moron!" Jenny shouted at the guy on Claire's behalf.

Claire, who had been knocked off her feet, shook her head at Jenny. "That was totally my fault, I wasn't looking…" She glanced up at the stranger taking a moment to get a good look at him. She couldn't remember seeing him around school and even though she had only been there a few days, it wasn't a very large school and; she thought she might at least have recognized his face.

"I'm really sorry…" He mumbled and awkwardly stuck out his right hand.

"It's fine," Claire took the hand he offered and let him help her stand. "It wasn't your fault any more than mine."

"Yea, umm, okay, well sorry…" He nodded, shifted on his short and slightly chubby legs, and started to turn away; once again he turned his eyes down. "I…I'll stay out of your way."

"Wait a minute…" Claire frowned at his behavior. "I'm Claire…"

For a minute he just stared at her, seemingly too stunned to reply.

She had to prod him to talk. "What's your name?"

"Sam," he answered abruptly.

"Nice to meet you Sam," she smiled kindly.

Jenny let out a slight moan and tugged at Claire's hand. "We've got to go now."

"Okay," Claire smiled at Sam once more. "Well, I'm sure I'll see you around some time Sam."

His brown eyes bulged as he stared at her. "Really? I mean yea…I'll see you around."

Claire let Jenny pull her off towards the locker room. "What the hell was that about?"

"What do you mean?" Claire sometimes felt that playing dumb was the best option. She knew exactly why Jenny was upset. Claire was very familiar with the frustrating social distinctions enforced by high school students. Even though she was new to this school, she knew exactly how the social hierarchy worked—the same as any other school. Cheerleaders do not associate with guys like Sam. But she was that girl once upon a time back in Texas, and she didn't want to be her again. She didn't want to ignore someone that she could be friends with just because they were different. She behaved that way for years with Zach and he turned out to be her only true friend.

"Claire, you have made incredible progress at this school and in such a short time. I couldn't imagine why you would want to jeopardize your position…"

"God Jenny, all I did was say 'hi' to a guy. It's not like I invited him to prom." Claire popped the top off her water bottle and took a long sip.

They reached the edge of the field and Jenny looked back to see Sam being surrounded by a few of the football guys. They were laughing and pointing at him. Jenny grinned, imagining what sort of jokes they were making at his expense. "I just want to make sure you know who you belong with…"

_Who I belong with? _Claire gave Jenny a smile, but inside she was laughing. _Trust me Jenny, that's the least of my worries._

"Claire!"

The girls turned at the holler coming from outside the gate that fenced in the practice field. Jenny's eyes widened when she spotted the owner of the voice.

"Who's that?"

Claire smiled and sprinted towards the fence. "Jaden!" By time she reached the fence, he had found the gate that allowed him access onto the field and was waiting for her with his arms open.

"Surprised?"

She nearly leapt into his arms and he rewarded her with a flurry of kisses.

"What are you doing here?" She asked him once he gave her mouth a chance to speak. "You're supposed to be working at the hospital!"

"I know, but I got someone to cover my shift tonight."

"Why?" Claire loved the feeling of his arms around her, his hands on her back, and his cheek pressed against hers.

"Because I want to take my girl out."

"What makes you think I'm free tonight?"

"For me? I'm pretty sure you'll be free."

"Cocky much?" Claire rolled her eyes. "You know I always want to spend every moment with you, but I promised Peter I'd be home tonight."

"Are you serious?" Jaden frowned. "You spend more time with him than you do with me. He's a big boy Claire. I think he can handle one night alone."

"It's not that…" Claire knew that Jaden would never understand. From his perspective it must seem strange how much time she spent with her uncle, but he needed her. They needed to work on getting his abilities under control. They had been making a lot of progress, but they still had a lot to do. It seemed like every time they got one power under control, another that they had forgotten about popped up. And now, especially since Claude had suddenly turned up, Peter seemed even more unsteady than usual.

"Claire…" Jaden was reading her expression and it didn't make him happy. "Please come out with me tonight! Let your uncle find a different babysitter."

"I shouldn't neglect him," Claire reasoned with herself.

Jaden tightened his arms around her waist. "You shouldn't neglect me."

Claire grinned and nodded. "I'll call him okay? No promises, but I'll do my best to make him understand. I've got to get my things from the locker room, do you want to wait for me?"

Jaden's phone rang and he checked the ID quickly. "Umm…no actually I've got to take this call…"

"Oh?" Claire tried to read the name, but he turned away from her.

"It's just work. I'll pick you up at seven."

"Okay." Claire let him answer the call as she ran back across the field to where she had abandoned Jenny.

"Hi," Jaden answered his phone as he started walking away from the field.

"_Miss me?" _

"I always do," Jaden smiled at the familiar voice on the other line. "But I know that's not the only reason you're calling me."

"_You know me so well," _she laughed. _"I'm calling to find out how your progress is going." _

"So, they've made you my keeper now?"

"_No, I asked if I could be. I thought it would be nice if we had more opportunities to talk, and since we're both so busy…" _

"I know, I'm just giving you a hard time, sweetie." Jaden glanced over his shoulder to make sure that Claire hadn't decided to come running after him. Things would be ruined if she heard this phone call. "Things are going fine here."

"_Really?" _

"Sort of. I'm doing my best to keep Claire away from Peter, but she's very stubborn."

"_So try harder. I know how persuasive you can be if you put your mind to it." _

"Thanks for the vote of confidence. I'm doing what I can."

"_Jaden, I don't think I need to remind you how important it is for Peter not to develop his powers fully. If you can't keep this girl from helping him, then we might as well just give up now." _

"Stop it Sasha," Jaden scolded.

"_Stop what?"_ Sasha laughed again. _"I'm not hurting your feelings am I?" _

"You're being mean so I'll work harder," Jaden sighed. "Well, it's working okay."

"_I know. It always does." _

"You're lucky I like you so much."

"_Do you really?" _Sasha loved to tease him. _"I had no idea…" _

"Look, I'll keep Claire away from her uncle tonight and every night. Sooner than you know she won't even want to be around him. He will be alone and she will be vulnerable and then I'll bring her in." Jaden let out another sigh. "It's just going to take some time, okay?"

"_Why?" _Sasha demanded.

"Because she's not an idiot. And she's sweet. She really cares about people, and she especially cares about her uncle."

"_She's sweet?" _Sasha repeated. _"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" _

"Nothing," Jaden defended himself quickly. "It doesn't mean anything. It's just what it is. She's a sweet kid."

"_Just remember that's all she is."_ Sasha told him. _"She's a kid. She's just an assignment. You're not actually dating her."_

"Yea, I know that," he snapped.

Sasha was quiet for a moment. _"Jaden, you don't actually like her, do you?" _

"What? Of course not!"

"_It would be understandable. I mean, she's adorable, and sweet…you said so yourself." _Sasha paused again. _"And you have been spending a lot of time with her, pretending to really like her…"_

"What are you hinting at?"

"_I don't know. Maybe a part of you has actually fallen for her…" _

"Don't be stupid," Jaden rebuked her. "Claire is just a job."

"_I'd like to believe that…" _

"Don't worry baby, you know you're the only one for me."

"_And it better stay that way," _Sasha reminded him.

"How's your assignment?" Jaden changed the topic swiftly.

"_Excellent. Dr. Suresh is doing exactly as I say. We are leaving Seattle tomorrow." _

"Good, I'm very proud of how well you're doing."

"_Really? That sounded forced," _Sasha commented. _"What's wrong?" _

"I'm just sad we're not together," Jaden confessed.

"_Really?" _

"Yes, is that so hard to believe?"

"_No," _Sasha sighed. _"Let's just get our jobs done so we can be together again." _

"Sounds good to me. I'll talk to you later sweetheart," Jaden waited for her to say goodbye before hanging up the phone.


	40. Curiosity

MOHINDER & SASHA

AUSTRALIA

"Is it the virus?"

"Can you give me just one moment?" Mohinder was exhausted with Sasha's unyielding questions. Every time he turned around she seemed to appear with a whole new set of interrogations. All he wanted was a moment to himself so he could quietly discern what his tests were telling him, but she clearly wasn't going to give him that peace.

Sasha folded her arms and raised one of her perfectly plucked eyebrows. Mohinder hated it when she did that. He never understood how people could raise just one eyebrow. Whenever he tried, both would go up; it didn't seem natural for them to perform separately.

"Sasha, I can't think when you're hovering like this!" He told her. "Please give me space."

"We're partners, Dr. Suresh. That means that whatever you know, I know. So spill. Is the kid dying?"

Mohinder tried not to wince at the frankness of her question. "Yes, he has the virus, but he is not going to die. That's why we're here, isn't it?"

Sasha nodded. "That's right. So…what are you waiting for?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Heal him already!"

"It's not like I snap my fingers and he's all better!" Mohinder told her sharply. "It takes quite a while. Why do you think I was in Seattle for so long?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe it's because you were screwing your patient's sister…"

"We had an agreement." Mohinder reminded her. His tone was bitter; he was losing his patience with Sasha. "You promised me you wouldn't discuss my relationship with Madeline and in return I wouldn't pry into your personal life."

Sasha nodded, "I know."

"So, would you like me to start prying?"

Sasha thought of Jaden. It would be horrible for Mohinder to learn the truth about Claire's boyfriend. "No. I'm sorry. I won't mention her again."

"Thank you," Mohinder appreciated it, but at the same time he wondered what Sasha was so eager to hide of her own life.

"How long do you think it will take before he starts to recover?"

"It will take a couple of days before I can be confident enough to leave him on his own." Mohinder started prepping a needle for the patient's injection.

"Okay," Sasha flipped open her cell phone to check her calendar. "We've got to be in China by Monday."

"That only gives us three days."

"And you said you only needed a couple," Sasha pointed out. "Look, just do what you can and then we've got to go. Don't worry, he'll be taken care of and if the virus starts to reemerge, we can always return to him."

"When you say 'taken care of' what exactly do you mean?"

"Dr. Suresh…" Sasha shook her head. "I thought I had covered this. Do you need a reminder about what I could do to all the people you care about?" She scanned the area around them and spotted a little boy a few feet away. She got his attention and motioned him to come over, which he did obediently. Sasha placed her hand over his heart and concentrated. Only a moment later he collapsed to the ground, grabbing his chest with his hands.

"Stop it!" Mohinder shouted. "Don't hurt him!"

"Dr. Suresh, you have the power to heal a virus. I have the power to kill with just one touch…or I can heal…" she touched the boy again and he recovered instantly, seeming as normal as ever. "Do you want me to exploit my power on Molly? I think she's a little young to have a stroke, but if you continue to question me about things you know I can't tell you…"

Mohinder shook his head. "No! I'm sorry! I won't ask again, just please leave Molly out of this."

"Good choice," Sasha glanced at her cell phone as it vibrated. "This is our employer. Should I tell him that we will be on track with our schedule?"

"Yes," Mohinder gave in. "I will be ready to leave for China whenever you say."

"Good boy." She turned away from him as she answered the phone. "Good afternoon, Sir."

"_Hello Sasha, how's the progress coming with Dr. Suresh?" _

"Excellent. He's a very obedient doctor." She glanced over her shoulder to make sure that Mohinder wasn't trying to listen in to the conversation. He was obediently administering the antidote to their patient.

"_And this man that you have found in Australia, have you learned anything about him yet?" _

"Yes, I have. I think you're going to be very pleased with this one. I obviously haven't seen it myself, since the virus is pretty advanced, but from how he described himself, it's something to do with controlling the weather…"

"_Lovely," _Mr. Okenberg said. _"He will make a nice addition." _

"I thought you'd be happy." Sasha smiled to herself; it was always a good day for her when she was able to give her boss good news. "Should I expect someone to meet us here before we go on to China?"

"_No, I don't think it would be wise to let Dr. Suresh see what happens next. You two should go on to China, and I'll have someone come to retrieve your patient." _

"Okay," she agreed obediently. "May I ask who's going to retrieve him? Are you going to have Sylar come?"

"_No, Sylar is being a little temperamental right now. We're having to keep a closer eye on his activities." _Mr. Okenberg paused. _"I think it's time we bring the Haitian out of his cell. I've missed having him on active duty." _

"Do you think he'll cooperate?"

"_He will. He knows what's at stake. Besides, Angela's always been good at persuading him." _

"True," Sasha noted that Mohinder had finished with the shot and was now looking curious about her phone call. "I should go. Dr. Suresh is waiting for me."

"_Very well, I'll send you your next assignment after China." _

"I'll be waiting."

HEIDI & NATHAN

NEW YORK

"Sweetheart, have you seen my car keys?" Nathan called to his wife as he searched his office frantically.

"Did you look on your desk?" Heidi responded, also shouting.

"Of course!" Nathan double-checked the surface of his desk just to make sure.

"How about the hall table?"

Nathan sighed. He had checked all the normal places, which is why he asked for her help. "I've checked everywhere!"

"What about your jacket pocket?"

Nathan frowned. He didn't remember wearing a jacket when he was last using his keys, but he might as well check. He located his jacket in the hall closet and slipped his hand into one of the front pockets. Soon enough his fingers touched the cold metal of his keychain.

"Thanks!" He shouted back to her. "I'll be home in time for dinner."

"Okay!" Heidi rounded the corner just in time to give her husband a kiss goodbye before he rushed out to the office. "Love you."

"Love you too." He kissed her again before leaving.

She stood in the open door until he had driven away, and then she shut it and also shut the closet door, which he had left wide open. Then she made her way into his office to inspect the mess he had made while frantically searching for his keys. When she saw the disaster, she had an urge to laugh.

"He is such a boy," she commented to herself as she started straightening up the files and paperwork scattered across his desk. She knew that if she weren't around the whole house would be a sty; that's just the way things were with her three boys. Sometimes she did wish she had a daughter, which is perhaps the reason she had resented Claire at first—she was the daughter that they had never had together.

It wasn't that she didn't like Claire. Quite the opposite actually—she was starting to love Claire. It was practically impossible to know that girl and not love her. She had bonded with the boys instantly, which helped Heidi like her even more, and she was always overly helpful whenever she came for a visit. Last time she had come for dinner, Heidi caught her helping the maid with the dishes.

_If only she was my own daughter…_Heidi had this thought often. Sometimes she pretended that Claire was her daughter—their daughter—and not Nathan's and some strange woman. She would convince herself that they had had Claire first, but she had been sent to boarding schools as a child, which is why she was only around recently. But then, Heidi would realize how foolish she was being for making up such a silly story, and she would remind herself that Claire was simply a new part of her life, one that didn't actually belong to her.

Heidi moved on to the bookshelves in an attempt to create some sort of order. She never could understand how Nathan could tolerate such disorganization. Habitually, she began to alphabetize one of the middle shelves. Nathan wouldn't mind, he probably wouldn't even notice. Her hand paused on a book that she had never read, but she had heard a lot about.

"_Activating Evolution_," She read the title out loud and pulled it from the shelf. It was the book that supposedly explained all the details of what was happening with her husband and Claire and all the others like them. _Maybe this will help me understand better…_taking the book with her, Heidi retreated to the living room and curled up in her favorite reading chair.

After over an hour of reading, Heidi knew she had questions that the book would never be able to answer for her—neither would her husband. Giving it only a minute of consideration, she returned to Nathan's office and searched through his address book until she found the number she was looking for.

After two rings, Heidi realized she had been holding her breath. She started wondering if she had made the right decision, but didn't have time to change her mind before the other line was answered.

"_Hi Nathan!" _

"Oh…umm…actually Claire, it's Heidi."

"_Oh, hello!" _Claire didn't hide the confusion in her voice.

"I know this is a little random, and you are probably very busy with school and everything, but I was wondering if we could have lunch together sometime…" Heidi spoke quickly before she could take any of it back.

Claire paused briefly before answering. _"Lunch? Like just the two of us?" _

"Yes," Heidi confirmed. "I thought it might give us a nice chance to get to know one another. When you come over here you're always so busy with Nathan, I just don't feel like we've had a great opportunity…" She started to panic. Maybe all of Claire's friendliness had only been a cover-up because she didn't know how to act around Heidi. Maybe she wasn't interested in getting to know her at all. "If you don't want to, I'll understand of course…"

"_No, of course I do. Lunch would be great." _

"Really?"

"_Yea, absolutely, whenever you want." _

"Okay…how about I pick you up at school tomorrow during your lunch break?"

"_Perfect. I'll be waiting out front at eleven thirty." _

"All right, I'll see you then." Heidi smiled at how well it had worked out. "I really appreciate this Claire. Oh, and I know it probably wouldn't matter, but he can be so weird sometime, so if you don't mind, maybe we could keep this a secret from Nathan, just for now."

_A/N: I'm not actually going to show the lunch scene with Heidi and Claire. Just imagine that it went well, because they will be having lunch together frequently, just getting to know one another, but I don't feel like writing it word for word, unless I get a lot of reviews telling me that they'd like to read it. So at this point, not going to happen, but like I say, it's up to you! XOXO_


	41. Concern

ANGELA PETRELLI & MR. OKENBERG

LONDON

"I just don't think it's wise to let him out yet."

"Angela, we both know that he can't stay locked away forever. He's one of our greatest assets." Mr. Okenberg followed Angela down the long corridor leading to the rows of cells they had fixed up for anyone needing to be detained. "I understand that he upset you when he failed to keep Claire away from Nathan, but sometimes you have to let go."

Angela habitually ran her manicured hand over her up-do, unconsciously smoothing her hair down to perfection. "Of course," she answered at last.

They passed three doors before arriving at the one that they wanted. Mr. Okenberg typed in the access code to the electronic keypad next to the door and they waited as the code was accepted and then the lock clicked, admitting them into the holding cell.

"Bonjour," Angela greeted the Haitian as though they were meeting at a party.

He turned his dark eyes up towards her, but didn't return the greeting.

"Now, now, no need to sulk." Mr. Okenberg took charge of the situation. "We're here to let you out!"

The Haitian looked skeptical, as though wondering what sort of trick they were playing on him now.

"He's not lying to you," Angela confirmed. "You've been here long enough. I'm sure you don't need any more time to learn your lesson."

He shook his head.

"Good, then come on," Mr. Okenberg held his hand out to help the Haitian stand. "I can imagine how bored you have been these past couple weeks."

The Haitian nodded.

"Well, that's about to change! Sasha has found you some new recruits to bring in, so you'll be leaving tonight." Mr. Okenberg told him, not paying attention to the frown on the Haitian's face. "Now, technically you should have a partner—you know the policy—but at this moment we're a little short on people, so you'll be going alone."

"I expect we can count on you not to fail _this_ time." Angela spoke up.

The Haitian glanced at her and nodded again.

"Good," Mr. Okenberg handed the Haitian a folder containing his flight information. "You're heading to Seattle. His name is Michael Monroe."

The Haitian took the folder obediently.

"All right, off you go." Mr. Okenberg led the way to the door and then sent the Haitian in a different direction. "We'll be waiting for you to call when you have him."

Angela watched the Haitian until he was far enough away not to overhear. "What do you think Dr. Suresh will do when he learns that we have taken Mr. Monroe?"

"Honestly?" Mr. Okenberg shook his head. "I don't really care. He'll do his job if he wants to keep it."

"Of course," Angela felt the same way, but she didn't tend to express her opinion as much as Mr. Okenberg did. Angela had a different policy; she wanted people to trust her so that she would be better able to twist them into whatever scheme she needed them for. "Have you heard anything more from Jaden lately?"

"I have heard from Sasha, who has been in contact with Jaden, of course. He is making process, supposedly. Your granddaughter has fallen for him completely. They've been going out nearly every night. Pretty soon she'll willingly choose him over Peter and then Jaden will bring her in."

"Good," Angela decided. "The sooner the better."

"Is there a reason you're in such a rush?"

Angela shook her head. "I'm eager to move onto the next phase of our plan and in order for that to happen we need Claire."

"Of course," Mr. Okenberg agreed. "We'll have her here soon." He paused. "If what Jaden has told me of Claire is true, then I don't expect her to be easy to convince. She's supposedly a very well behaved girl, with a lot of stubborn ideas. What makes you think she'll help us?"

"Don't worry about the details," Angela told him. "Just get her here. I'll make sure she cooperates. Trust me, I can be very convincing. Once I'm done with her, Claire won't be able to resist."

CLAIRE

NEW YORK

"Is Jaden picking you up after school today?" Jenny asked Claire as the girls unloaded they retrieved their gym bags from the lockers after practice.

"No actually, he's not today." Claire told her as she zipped a sweater up over her cheer uniform top.

"Oh? That's strange."

"Why?"

"He's picked you up from school every day for the past two weeks."

"That's not true!" Claire protested, but mentally she was trying to recall the last fourteen school days, wondering if it was true or not.

Jenny was laughing. "Claire, you don't have to defend yourself. You know I'm totally jealous! He's a super hot guy in his twenties! God, it's totally unfair." She reapplied her lipstick using the magnetic mirror stuck to the inside of her locker.

"Yea, I guess I am pretty lucky," Claire agreed. "But anyway, Jaden's got an afternoon shift at the hospital, so I'm not going to see him until later tonight."

"Perfect, then you have time to come shopping with me!"

"Shopping?" Claire hesitated. She had had other plans for herself—Peter was waiting.

"Yea, I have this party thing next weekend—it's at my brother's loft in Greenwich Village. He's a college guy…oh my god you should totally come!" She giggled. "I don't know why I didn't think of it earlier! You could even bring Jaden if you want."

Claire debated. A party sounded fun—normal. And going with Jaden seemed even better. It's what people were supposed to do in high school, right? Sneak off to college parties and have a good time…but Peter would never approve. _It's not like he's the boss of me or something…_Claire hated how much she cared about what Peter thought of her and her behavior. Truthfully, she cared more about what he thought than anyone else.

"So, shopping?" Jenny asked again as she shut the locker and slipped her gym bag over her shoulder. "I need to find the perfect little dress—preferably something in red. I hear college guys like red; it's sexy."

"Sexy?" Claire thought of her cheerleading outfit from her old school in Odessa and compared it with the black and green one she was wearing now. _Did guys think I was sexy in that one?_ She shook her head, not much caring for the thoughts she was having. It didn't matter what guys thought of her back then, all that mattered was Jaden—here and now. "I'll talk to Jaden and see if he wants to go to the party, but I can't go shopping. I've got some things to do."

"Fine, abandon me…" Jenny huffed and smacked her lips in a glossy kiss goodbye to Claire. "See you on Monday!"

"Yea, see you!" Claire waved and headed in the other direction.

Her school was a reasonable walking distance from Peter's place, but today had surprised her with a slight drizzle, and she was starting to wish she had brought along money for a cab. She lingered just outside the front door of the school, embracing her final few moments beneath the short roof that was protecting her from the rain, before she would have to descend the steps and experience the downpour, wearing only her cheer uniform and a sweater. For a moment she considered calling Peter to come and pick her up, but he had actually started job-hunting today and she didn't want to interrupt him if he was busy.

"Why didn't I bring an umbrella?" She sighed and watched the rain streak down from the sky, splashing onto the cement, creating shallow puddles where the road dipped.

Just as she was preparing to brave the elements, she heard a commotion across the front yard that distracted her from her mission home. A group of the football jocks had surrounded someone—she couldn't' see who it was—and they were laughing and clapping boisterously. It didn't sound friendly though. Claire felt instinctively concerned, even though she knew nothing about the situation. A moment later, the jocks parted slightly and Claire could see a boy in the middle of them; she remembered him from the previous week when he had crashed into her on the field.

"Hey! What's going on over here?" Claire jogged across the field to close the gap between herself and the jocks who were currently terrorizing the boy named Sam. "Leave him alone!"

"Claire!" A few of the jocks recognized Claire as she approached and greeted her with wide smiles.

"Hi," she returned the greeting, thinking it would be polite.

"Hey, you free tonight Claire? We'd love it if you could come to the party I'm throwing." The jock who was speaking was named something like Josh. Claire couldn't remember specifically. They all seemed to be named a variation of the same thing. "It's going to be awesome," he continued. "My older brother's getting us a keg!"

Claire tried desperately hard not to role her eyes. "As _awesome_ as a kegger sounds, I've got other plans. But thanks for the invite." Her eyes drifted to the boy they had been bullying—his round face was red and splotchy and his protuberant brown eyes glistened with the temptation of tears. "Hey Sam!"

The boy stared at her, his lips parted in silent awe. He seemed stunned that she had actually admitted acquaintance with him in front of all the jocks. The jocks were equally shocked.

"Do you _know_ him?" One of the guys asked. Claire couldn't remember his name, but his letterman's jacket was branded by a large number 12.

Claire nodded. "We met last week. Do you guys _know _him?" She narrowed her eyes at each of the guys in turn, daring them to admit what they had been doing to him before she showed up.

"Yea right," one of the guys scoffed.

The guy who had invited her to the party seemed more hesitant to joke though. He smiled at her slightly and shrugged. "He's not really one of us, Claire..."

"One of you?" She hated this part of high school—the clicks and the people who though they had the right to choose who belonged where. She flipped her long hair over her shoulder and shifted her weight onto one foot. "I've only been here for two weeks. How do you know I'm one of you?"

The guys laughed as though she had just told a funny joke.

"I'm not joking." She assured them. "I bet you know as little about Sam as you do about me. So what makes us any different?"

"Are you serious?" Number 12 was talking again. "Claire, you're a cheerleader."

"And Jenny says you're from the Upper East Side," another guy piped up. "He's a welfare kid."

Claire looked at Sam who had now lowered his eyes to the ground. She was almost positive that he had started to cry. She didn't know what to say. She didn't know what to do even. Coming over here a moment ago had felt like the right move, but now she didn't know why. What did she think she could do for this situation? It wasn't like she was going to fight the guys to make them stop picking on Sam and other boys like him. Things would continue just the way they always were, regardless of anything she said or did today. The choice she had to make was whether or not she wanted to lose her only shot at a normal life with the popular kids that could make high school fun, just so she could feel good about herself in her decision to stick up for a welfare kid.

It started raining harder; it was almost like a sign for Claire to step out of the situation. "I've got to go. My boyfriend's waiting for me." She sighed, taking one more look at Sam and then at the group of jocks who couldn't care less about her valiant effort to make a difference. "See you all on Monday."

"Bye Claire!" The guys waved at her joyfully; they seemed ready to ignore the fact that this attempt at an intervention had ever taken place.

As Claire hurried off, pulling the hood of her jacket up over her head for maximum protection from the rain, she started hating herself for her inability to help. No matter her good intentions, she still felt useless. Who know how much crap Sam had to put up with from those guys on a daily basis?

_What good am I going to be to him? _She argued with herself, trying to compensate the guilt she felt in walking away. _I'm just one person. _

CLAUDE

NEW YORK

Being invisible had its conveniences—beyond avoiding cops and easy shoplifting. He knew that had he been visible, keeping an eye on her would have been impossible. She was smart, maybe a little too smart sometimes. And she was always paranoid. He blamed that on her circumstances. Life had been hard on her in the past few months. She had experienced a lot of fear and pain. But in many ways, all the suffering had been good for her. She had learned valuable lessons about trust and friendship and she had learned the importance of her secret.

Claude remembered when Peter had first mentioned Claire. He had described her as a "sweet kid with a sad little smile". That had been the first power he had managed to pull up on his own. At that moment Claude had known there had been a powerful connection between Claire and Peter—more than they could realize. For him to think of her and be able to access her power so completely, and above all the others he possessed—including his own brother—was unique. That connection was one Claude couldn't overlook.

He wondered, as he watched Claire, whether or not she was aware of how attached Peter was to her. It would be important for her to become aware of it at some point. Both of them would undoubtedly benefit from it if they let themselves. Of course, certain things would need to be overcome first, but it wasn't his job to worry about that.

Claire was crossing the street now, and he realized that he had fallen behind a little, so he hurried to catch up; he slowed when he was three feet behind her. She was jogging across the intersection, lifting her knees high like a show horse, to avoid the puddles. When she had successfully crossed, she stepped beneath the awning of a corner coffee shop for short relief from the rain before starting up again.

He followed her all the way to the steps of the apartment complex, and then he watched her slip into the building and disappear from his sight. Overall, his day had been uneventful. And taking nearly twenty minutes to follow a teenage girl wasn't his ideal use of an afternoon, but strangely he didn't mind at all.


	42. Confessions & Choices

_A/N: This is a really long update, and it's all focused on them, which is unusual for me, but there was a lot that needed to happen. Prepare for another twist. I hope you enjoy! Please, please review and let me know how I pulled this off! Thanks!_

SYLAR & EMILY

LONDON

"Where did we decide to go? My place or yours?" Sylar tightened his hold on Emily's hand as they stopped at the curb and waited for the cars to pass.

Emily didn't respond to either his question or his hand squeeze.

"Emily? Is something wrong?"

She turned her head to look at him and smiled very faintly.

"Sweetheart, you don't look well. Are you sick?" He felt strange caring so much, but the idea of Emily being at all unwell terrified him.

"No, I'm fine," she assured him. "It's just everything about you is so…" she faltered for a word. "Right," she finished. "Being with you is always brilliant. I couldn't ask for anything more."

Sylar's head felt light in a sensation he had never experienced before. "I feel the same way."

"But…"

His heart seemed to stop at the impact of her one simple word. "But?"

"I feel so terrible."

"Why?" He turned to face her. "Emily why?"

"I…" she hesitated. "There's so much about me that you don't know."

His heart beat regularly again. "Is that all?" He kissed the top of her nose. "Emily, you don't know everything about me either."

"I'm sure I don't, but there are things—specific things—that I have kept from you." She explained. "I have a whole history of secrets…and I'm so afraid to tell you about my past."

"We all have a past," Sylar told her. "I would never think less of you for anything." He kissed her again. "Nothing you ever tell me will change the way I feel about you."

Her green eyes glistened. "Really?"

"Absolutely. And don't even feel like you have to share something with me if it makes you uncomfortable. You can keep your secrets." _God knows I have my share. _

Emily flung her arms around his neck. "I love you so much, and I want to tell you everything."

"You do?"

"Yes, in time. I don't want to have secrets from you, because I believe that you really would accept me for who I am."

Sylar nodded. He knew instantly that Emily had an ability. He recognized the gleam in her eyes when she mentioned a secret—the gleam of the unnatural.

"But tonight, let's just go back to my place. I'm exhausted." She slipped her hand into his again and they started walking. "Let's take the shortcut through the alley," she suggested as they approached the dark alleyway that cut between her gallery and the bookshop next door. The door to her apartment was around the corner, or there were back stairs through the alley.

"So, how exhausted are you?" He asked as let her lead the way. "Because of course, I'm tired too, but is this like the kind of tired that needs sleep or like a full body massage with oils and candles and…"

Emily had started to laugh, but they were both cut off as a blinding bold of lightening shot out of the sky and struck the brick wall only a few feet from where they were.

"Oh god" Emily shrieked and leapt behind Sylar instinctively.

"What the hell…" Sylar stared at the scorched spot on the bricks. He had never had such a close call with lightening. It wasn't natural.

"There's no storm," Emily commented.

"There aren't even any clouds." Sylar added.

Before they had another chance to consider the bizarre occurrence, another bold struck the ground directly behind them. A moment later a girl strode out from behind a dumpster. Her hair was shorter and her eyes were fiercer, but Sylar instantly recognized her as his assignment in Holland a few weeks ago: Anika.

"Emily run!" He ordered, not wanting to risk her being caught in what was clearly an act of revenge, though he was confused about how Anika escaped from the company's guard.

"I wouldn't go anywhere if I were you, doll. Without you, he's fried." Anika winked at Emily and lifted one hand up to the sky. Lightening sparked in the cloudless sky, creating one sharp bolt that connected with her hand. "I have pretty good aim. Want to see?" Anika directed the lightening bolt directly at Sylar and released it.

Sylar felt frozen. None of the abilities he possessed prepared him for this. He thought for sure he was dead. Before he knew what had happened though, Emily had jumped in front of him with her own hands outstretched and the lightening vanished.

A smile lit up Anika's face and she dropped her hands to her side. "Thanks doll, that's all I wanted to know." She turned and skipped away into the dark night.

"Oh god…" Emily turned to Sylar the moment they were alone. "Are you hurt?"

He shook his head, but stared at her in confusion. For whatever reason he had assumed Anika had shown up, he knew how that he was wrong. It wasn't about revenge at all. It was about Emily, but he didn't know why.

"I am so sorry, Isaac." Emily cowered away from him, covering her face with her hands. "I never should have let you become involved with me. It was a horrible mistake."

"What?" Sylar pulled her hands away from her face. "What's a mistake? Us? You don't really think that, Emily."

She nodded and started to cry. "I never should have lied to you. That girl was after me…"

"Why?" Sylar wasn't sure what to say. He knew that Anika was after Emily, but he didn't know how to tell Emily this.

"Because of who I am." She was crying so much now that Sylar had a hard time hearing her. "I'm sorry that I've gotten you involved…"

"Emily," Sylar pulled her into his arms and held her head to his chest. "You have nothing to apologize for. I got myself involved." He soothingly stroked her long hair. "Come on, let's go inside so you can calm down a bit."

"I have to tell you the truth," she insisted.

"And you can, but let's go in first." Keeping his arm firmly around her shoulders, Sylar directed Emily away from the ominous alleyway and to the back steps leading up to her apartment. "You can tell me everything when you're feeling more stable."

Emily's crying had calmed down to a persistent whimper now, but her body was still trembling beneath Sylar's touch. Once they had made it into the apartment, Sylar made certain that Emily was comfortable on the couch and then he went to make her a mug of peppermint tea—her favorite. He wouldn't let her talk again until she had drunk half the mug and her trembling had subsided.

"Now, what makes you think that girl came here for you?" Sylar prodded the conversation to get Emily talking again.

Her lips sucked at the brim of her mug, but she didn't drink. "Because I ran away from them a long time ago…"

"Them?" Sylar repeated.

"The company," she barely whispered out the word.

Sylar tried not to react. He couldn't let Emily know the truth about him yet—not until she had told him her secrets. He felt it was important for him to hear everything that she was hiding.

"It's an organization," she told him in response to his silence. "A very horrid group of people who hunt down people with…" she paused and took a sip before continuing, "with special abilities."

"What do you mean?" Sylar pretended not to know.

"I'm not normal," she stated simply.

Sylar waited for her to explain further.

She sighed. "I can do things that nobody should be able to do. I can't explain it probably in any way that would make sense to you, but certain people's DNA evolves beyond what's normal, giving them the ability to do extraordinary things."

"What do you mean by extraordinary?" Sylar asked.

"Umm…I can repel things…"

"Repel? What sort of things?"

"Anything."

"Show me," he told her.

Now it was her turn to be quiet.

"Please," he spoke quietly.

"I don't want to freak you out."

"You won't," he assured her.

She took a deep breath and then stood up, set the tea down on the table, and motioned for him to stand as well. "Throw something at me."

"Like what?"

"Anything," she pointed to the knife block on the counter. "Throw a knife at me."

"A knife, but…"

"Trust me, it will be fine."

Sylar nodded and chose one of the sharp steak knifes from the block. He waited for Emily to nod and then flung it at her. When it was only a foot away, she held out her hand and the knife stopped in mid-air and dropped to the ground.

"Wow…" Sylar's eyes widened. "That was cool."

"Cool?" She shook her head. "It isn't so cool when you are being forced to undergo dozens of tests a day, without rest or any control…" her eyes started to tear up again and Sylar realized that there was more to the secret that she was keeping from him.

"How did that girl know to look for you?"

"They must have sent her to find me."

"And by they you mean the organization that you mentioned earlier?"

"Yes," Emily sat down again and finished drinking her tea. "I ran away from them a long time ago. I thought they had given up, but clearly not."

"You ran away from them? What does that mean?"

She gripped the mug tightly with both her hands; even though it was now empty, she still wouldn't put it down. "This group—they're known as The Company—and there are a lot of people who are involved with them. One of them is my dad."

"Your dad?" Now Sylar genuinely was confused. _Why did they send me here to watch her if they already knew all about her? _

"I was born and raised at the mercy of The Company. My dad worked with them long before I was born, and once I was he had no trouble handing me over to them." She sat perfectly still as she explained the whole story to him. "I don't know who my mom was, but she had abilities too. My dad didn't though, which was maybe why he was so curious about what I was capable of."

"I don't understand," Sylar interrupted. "Why did you run away from your own father?"

"He wasn't a good person," she assured him. "He was the one who offered me to The Company for their experiments."

"What sort of experiments?"

"All sorts," she answered. "At first they would just test me to see how much I could do with my abilities. Then they would see how long I could last at a time. After a few years, they realized that I could withstand almost anything. By the time I was thirteen they were shooting bullets at me to see if I could stop them."

"They're lucky you could," Sylar commented.

"Sometimes I think it would have been better for me if I hadn't been able to."

"I know it must have been a difficult childhood for you, but do you think that maybe they were just maybe trying to help you develop your ability?"

Emily shook her head firmly. "If it had stopped there, perhaps, but it only became worse later on."

"How much worse?"

She couldn't sit still any longer; she started pacing the floor in front of the sofa where they both had been sitting. Sylar followed her with his eyes. "When I was fourteen they started researching something new—something different."

"What was it?"

"Breeding."

"I'm sorry?" Sylar thought he had heard her wrong.

"I'm not sure who started it, but my dad was very eager to help with the research. They wanted to know what the probability was of evolving DNA in offspring. They knew of many kids who had abilities and also had parents with abilities, such as my mom and me, but they wondered if there would be a pattern, or if certain abilities would breed certain powers…" she cut off, momentarily unable to say anything else.

"What does any of this have to do with you?"

"It took them a while to perfect their research, but when I was fifteen they started experimenting. They chose me as their first subject."

"They used you for breeding experiments?"

She nodded. "It took a few times for me to become pregnant." Her voice was catching, but she did well to keep back the tears. "I spent the nine months of my pregnancy fearing what would happen to my child. I didn't want The Company to raise my baby the same way they raised me, running tests and subjecting her to horrible experiments."

"Her?"

"Yes," Emily smiled. "I had a daughter."

"Where is she? What happened?"

"Well, like I said, I ran away." She explained. "After I had my daughter, I took her and got away from there. I gave her away; I thought it would be the safest for her to be raised somewhere far away from me so they would never find her. I changed my name and moved here."

"You changed your name?"

She nodded. "And moved. I'm really from the states, just like you."

"But your accent is so convincing…"

"Oh, it's real. I've been living here for nearly eleven years now."

"Right," Sylar was still having a hard time wrapping his mind around everything. "So, your daughter is in America then?"

"As far as I know," Emily confirmed. "I don't know where she ended up. I left her with a nun at a church in California. I couldn't risk going through an adoption agency, but the nun promised me she found my baby a good home."

"I'm so sorry for everything you've been through." He stood and stopped her unceasing pacing. "I hate them for what they've done to you." As he said the words, he realized that it was true. He had never known the remorse he was experiencing right now. He hated The Company for hurting Emily and for all the others they had undoubtedly subjected to the same torture; most of all though, he hated himself for being one of those people who created such pain and fear.

"Now that they've found me, they'll be sending someone to retrieve me. I have to get away from here. I have to hide."

"You will. We'll go away together. They will never find you Emily. I promise you that I'm never going to let anything bad happen to you again."

"No," she shook her head and pulled away from him suddenly. "You shouldn't be anywhere near me. It's too dangerous for you, Isaac."

Sylar flinched. _I'm going to lose her. _"Emily, there's something I have to tell you now." He hated that it had finally come to this. "I have a secret too, and I'm afraid that it's not one you're going to be able to accept as easily as I accepted yours."

Emily took his hand and led him back to the couch. "You accepted my secret completely. I'll accept anything you tell me in the same way."

_I wish it were that easy_. "First of all, I'm not who you think I am. I mean, I'm not Isaac Mendez."

Emily stared at him. After confessing her dark secret, she hadn't expected for him to respond with one of his own.

"Emily, please say something…"

She shook her head; things started making sense to her. "You're part of them, aren't you?" She took a few steps back and held out her hand as if to block him. "You've been here all this time to spy on me!"

"No…" he wanted to move closer to her, but he was afraid to make her too nervous. "I mean, technically yes, but it's not what you think." He could see her shutting him out. "Please, you have to listen to me. You have to let me explain."

"Why should I?"

"Because I love you…and a minute ago I know that you loved me."

"No," she shook her head. "I loved Isaac, but he doesn't even exist!"

Sylar shook his head. "There's no reason that you should believe me. I've done nothing to deserve it, but please just hear me out."

Emily seemed ready to run, but she finally nodded and sat down on the couch again. "You listened to my sob story; the least I can do is give you a few minutes."

Sylar gave her a smile, but stopped when he realized that she wasn't going to smile back. "Okay…here goes." He stood throughout his explanation. "Last year I discovered that I had an ability of my own—I can see things that are broken—like when something isn't working right in a person's mind. When I met others with special abilities, I could see that their mind was broken." He wondered if he had started this explanation at the right place. Maybe it was too early to tell her all his secrets, but the way her eyes bored into him, he knew he couldn't leave anything out. "The power that I felt from having an ability, from being special, took over me. I no longer thought about anything except the fact that I could acquire more power…"

"How?" Emily couldn't help but interrupt.

"I took them from others," he told her. "I'm not a good person Emily. I've hurt a lot of people—I've killed a lot of people."

"Killed?" Emily stood immediately, and once again looked ready to flee.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he assured her quickly. She stayed standing though. "There were a couple people who discovered the truth about me and wanted to stop me. I had become too greedy and had taken too many powers to be ignored. Finally, they found me and we fought and I was stabbed. I thought I was dead, but The Company saved my life. There's a girl who works for them—she has the ability to control people's vitals."

"Sasha," Emily commented.

"Yes, you know her?"

"They recruited her just before I left. She was only two years older than me—only seventeen." Emily shook her head. "She didn't have any control over her abilities then, but I can only imagine how advanced they have become now."

"Anyway, after healing me completely, they started putting me on assignments. I would travel to lots of different places to hunt out people with abilities. Some of them I would kill, and then take their abilities, and some The Company would come and collect."

"For their experiments," Emily filled in.

"I guess so," Sylar had never gotten a direct answer about what happened to the others or even why he was only allowed to kill certain ones. "Eventually they assigned me to you. They didn't tell me anything about your past. You have to believe that I had no idea who you were. First, I was supposed to find out what Isaac's most recent painting was of, and then I was supposed to watch you and see if you ever showed signs of an ability." He shrugged. "I had no idea that they already knew. I guess they just wanted me to keep an eye on you, or to confirm what they already knew."

"Why you?"

"I don't know."

"Are you going to kill me now? Is that why they sent you?"

"No," Sylar shook his head firmly. "They never mentioned anything specific. They just instructed me to find out what you could do. I told them a week ago that I didn't think you had an ability, but I think they believed I was protecting you because they sent another employee to test my feelings for you. I failed the test. I haven't been sent on an assignment since."

"What do you mean, they tested you?"

"There's another girl that works with them, her name's Candace, and she can create illusions," Sylar explained. "She can make you see whatever she wants you to see. She made me believe that she was you and came over to the apartment. I told her that I loved her, or well you, and undoubtedly she reported back to The Company. Falling in love with you was definitely not a part of the assignment. If they thought for a second that I had compromised the mission because of my feelings for you…" He sighed. "That must be why they sent Anika tonight."

"Anika?"

"The lightening girl. I found her in Holland a few weeks ago and The Company took her back to train I guess. But they must have sent her to test you, to see if I was lying or not."

Emily was quiet again; she seemed to be taking everything in. Then she spoke: "How many people have you killed?"

"Does that really matter?"

"It matters to me," she told him.

"To be honest I don't keep count."

Emily did not seem happy with that answer. "Why are you telling me all this now?"

"Because I finally know what regret feels like." Sylar told her. "Before I knew you…my life was incomplete. The only thing that satisfied me was knowing that I was special, but I wasn't happy. I did what I was good at and I never stopped to think about who I was hurting along the way. Now, I can't stop thinking about it all though." Images of his past victims flashed through his mind. He tried to block them out, but it was useless. "I wish I could take it all back—go back to before I learned what I could do." He smiled a little. "I wish you had known me back then. I used to be normal…I was a good person once."

"And you can be again," Emily answered.

Sylar was surprised by her response. "You don't hate me?"

"I hate what you've done. And I hate that you lied to me, but I lied to you too, so I can't hold that against you. I don't know if I believe your remorse yet, and I don't know if you truly love me, or if it's all just a part of The Company's plan to capture me, but I can't hate you, because I really do love you."

"You do?" Sylar moved towards her, but she held up her hands.

"That doesn't mean that I trust you," Emily told him. "I can't change the way I feel about you, but I can stay away from you." She picked up her purse from where she had dropped it by the door. "I don't want to see you again."

"Emily, wait!" Sylar started to follow her, but his phone rang. Emily waited while he answered it. "Hello?"

"_Hello." _

"Mrs. Petrelli, I have to admit I didn't expect to be hearing from you." Sylar held a hand out to Emily, hoping she wouldn't leave yet.

"_I hear you had a run in with Anika this evening," _Angela continued the conversation with her normal, calm voice. _"I also heard about Miss Banks' surprising display." _

"Yes, it was very surprising," Sylar told her.

"_Was it really?" _

"Are you suggesting that I have known all along and didn't tell you? That would be accusing me of betrayal…"

"_I'm aware of what it would mean for you,"_ Angela agreed. _"Which is why, for your sake, I am choosing to believe that you were entirely unaware up until tonight of what she was capable of." _

"I was," he confirmed.

"_Then I can only imagine how surprised you must have been to see her exhibit a power." _

"I was shocked."

"_Well, I expect then, that you know what comes next." _

"Is she going to be brought in?"

"_Actually, we would like for you to bring her in. Since this assignment will be over once you bring her in, you may as well come and get your new assignment." _Angela instructed him. _"We'll expect you to arrive, with Miss Banks, by seven o'clock tomorrow morning, all right?" _

Sylar glanced at Emily, who hadn't left, but still remained close to the door. "Of course, we'll be there."

"_Good, we'll have a new assignment waiting." _Angela hung up without another word.

"That was them, wasn't it?" Emily asked the moment Sylar had put down his phone.

"Yes," Sylar confirmed. "They want me to bring you in tomorrow morning. If I don't show up with you, they'll know I've betrayed them and they'll send people after the both of us."

"So is that it? You're just going to give me to them, to save your own ass?" She put her hand on the doorknob. "Not likely."

"Emily wait!" He rushed to stop her. "I didn't say I was going to take you to them. I had hoped you would understand by now that I don't want anything to hurt you."

She shook her head. "And I thought I told you that I didn't ever want to see you again."

"There's no reason that you should ever forgive me—nobody should." Sylar took a step away from her, fearing that he was too close for her comfort. "But I need you to trust that I want to protect you. I _will _protect you, if you let me."

"How are you going to do that? The Company wants me and when you don't bring me they'll send others, you said so yourself."

"We'll leave," he decided quickly.

"Leave?"

"Yea, we'll leave the country. We'll hide from them. They won't find us, and even if they do, I can keep you safe. I promise." He stared at her sincerely. "Please, I know I have no right to ask, but please trust me. I love you and I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you."

Emily shook her head. It didn't feel right staying with a confessed murderer, but at the same time, she didn't feel right leaving him either. He was the first person she had ever truly cared for. She needed to believe that he could change, that he could be a good person if someone gave him a chance; she wanted to be that person. And yet, she hesitated.

"Where would we go?" She asked at last.

"Anywhere you want!" Sylar hoped that her question meant she was considering it. "We could go to Australia, do you like beaches? Or, if not, we could go somewhere with lots of green, like Scotland…"

Emily smiled, despite her uncertainty. She appreciated the effort he was making to appease her.

"Emily, please, I don't know how to make you trust me, but just give me a chance," he reached a hand out towards her, but pulled it back before touching her. "I want to prove to you that I have changed."

"We'll see about that," she sighed. "But we'll deal with it later. For now, I want to go to the States."

"Really?"

"I've always wanted to return. I think it would be a good hiding place. They wouldn't expect me to go back there."

"Then you'll go with me?" His eyes lit up with excitement.

"Yes," she agreed. "I'll go, but the first sign that you haven't changed…"

"And I will never hold it against you, but I promise I'm not going to disappoint you," he reached out to her again and this time she let him hold her hand. "We'll go to New York. It's a big city, lots of people. It will be harder for them to find us."

"It will be harder, but not impossible," Emily reminded him. "If they did find us, they wouldn't hesitate to kill you. Why are you so willing to risk your life for me?"

"One because I love you, but two…" Sylar paused. "I've been destroying so many lives for so long, sacrificing everyone else…it's time that I make some sacrifices of my own."

She nodded. "All right."

"We need to leave immediately," he told her, suddenly rushing. "I can give you one hour to pack up—only the necessities. I'll make the arrangements and be back to pick you up." He started to leave, but she stopped him.

"Wait, before you go…you never even told me who you are."

"My name's Gabriel Gray," he told her. "Ever since I learned of my ability though, people have known me only as Sylar."

"I like Gabriel," she told him. She smiled and he realized how attached he had become to her smile. "My real name's Andrea. Andrea Parkman."


	43. Getting Out

PETER & CLAIRE

NEW YORK

"You're going out with him again?"

Claire rolled her eyes, but her back was to Peter so he couldn't see. "Yes, I am. Do you have a problem with that?"

"It's just, you go out a lot. I mean this will be the third night in a row…"

"Thanks for the tally," Claire continued straightening her hair. "It's not like I'm wanted around here. You've spent the last three nights with Claude," she reminded him. "And you won't even tell me why!"

"That's different," Peter protested.

"Yea, it is different. You didn't even want to speak to Claude when he showed up a week ago, and now you can't wait to be his best friend again?" She turned from the mirror momentarily so she could look Peter in the eyes. "At least I have good reason to be doing what I'm doing. Jaden's my boyfriend. Dating is normal when you're, you know, _dating_ someone." She turned back to the mirror and finished the last strand of her hair. "Maybe you should try it sometime; it might make you a little less moody all the time."

"You think I'm moody?" Peter questioned.

Claire shook her head quickly. "No, I didn't mean that…"

He frowned; he had gotten good at being able to tell when she was lying. "I'm not moody."

"I know you're not," she agreed. "And even if you were, you'd have every right to be. I mean, I could only imagine what sort of mood I'd be in if I were trying to sort out a dozen different abilities and carry on a normal life…"

"But?"

"What do you mean?"

"I know that look in your eyes," Peter told her. "I can tell when you're holding something back from me."

She shook her head. "I'm not, I just…I need to finish getting ready. Jaden should be here in any minute." Claire turned back to the mirror and was glossing her eyelashes with a second coat of mascara.

Peter hesitated. He had promised her he would never do it, but at this moment he felt that he had no choice. She wasn't being completely honest with him and he needed to know why. He concentrated, blocking out all the noise except for what was going on inside her mind.

_He has so much potential, if only he wouldn't be so scared. _

Peter pulled himself out of her thoughts suddenly. _She thinks I'm scared? _Of all the things she could think of him, that was the last thing he would ever want her to think of him. He backed up slowly, giving her space. After reading that brief moment of her thoughts, he decided that he didn't want to hear any more, and so he backed into the other room and sat on the couch. Technically, he knew he was sulking, but he hoped she wouldn't notice this.

"Peter," Claire emerged from the bedroom ten minutes later. Her makeup was finished and she had put on her coat. "I don't think you're moody," she told him once she had located him on the couch.

He stared at her, once again prying into her mind.

_Though right now, I'm not sure what to think of you._

"I'm dangerous Claire," he told her sharply.

"What?"

"Until I have better control over all my abilities, I'm a danger to society."

"You keep saying that, but I don't believe you. You haven't had any breakdowns or blowups or anything for weeks! How do you know if you're still dangerous, if you're too scared to even take a chance?"

"Take a chance?" Peter sat up straighter. "The last time I took a chance, I nearly exploded New York!"

"You're really going to have to move past that some day."

"Claire, it's not like I had a bad day, I blew up…"

"Yea, I remember, I was there." She wished she knew a better way to tell him what she was feeling. She hated seeing him as he was right now—miserable, depressed, and hopeless. "Peter, sometimes I think you feel like nobody else understands what you're going through. I mean, you'll let Claude get close to you, but what about me?"

"What about you?"

"I know what you're going through. Sure, I don't have to deal with a dozen strange powers, but I do have to learn how to assimilate my super-self with my normal-self. It's not easy, but I'm doing it."

"I know…" Peter felt a little ridiculous whenever she brought the attention to herself. He was supposed to be the one taking care of her, but more often then not it seemed that she was taking care of him. "I'm sorry Claire. I'm sorry I can't take better care of you. I'm sorry I'm not a better example for you…"

"It's not about you being an example for me," Claire insisted. "It's about you living your life, like you did before you let your powers frighten you into hiding."

"You think I'm hiding?"

"What else do you call this lifestyle?" Claire demanded. "You barely leave the house. And the only time you do leave the house, it's to go off somewhere alone and secretive—where do you go anyway?" Peter ignored the question, and she continued, disregarding the question. "If I didn't bring groceries in once a week, we'd both starve! Peter, you can't live like this! It's pathetic."

"I just need time," he claimed.

"No, you need a purpose," she decided suddenly. "Before you had a purpose—to stop yourself from blowing up. You don't have one anymore, so it's like you've just given up on life altogether."

"Great, so let's just go and get my a purpose," he rolled his eyes. "Life isn't that black and white, Claire."

"Yea, I know," she glared at him for taking that sarcastic tone with her. "And no one said it's supposed to be easy either. We've got to work to make things happen."

"I don't need a reminder about working hard…"

"I think that maybe you do," she snapped at him. "Because all I've seen you do lately is sit on your ass and wine about how much you're struggling with your abilities."

He was surprised by her intense outburst. Even when she was upset, Claire was usually good at keeping calm. This was clearly beyond upset, though. She was furious, and he had the feeling that there was more to her anger than his moodiness. It only took him a moment to dive into her mind again and discover the root of her frustration.

_I left my family so that I could be here with you. You were supposed to help me understand where I belong, but all you've done is make me miss home more than ever. How will I ever know what my purpose is, if you can't even prove that purpose exists anymore? _She wasn't looking at him anymore, but he could still see her eyes, and he knew that she was trying not to cry. _Do you ever think of anybody other than yourself? _

"I'm sorry," he offered. He didn't know what else to say. Everything she was thinking was true. He was being selfish, and useless. After everything she had sacrificed, everything she had been willing to do to save him, he was treating her horribly.

Claire looked at him curiously. "You're sorry?"

"I haven't been taking very good care of you," he told her. "I've been ignoring how much you've been going through because I'm too focused on myself. I realize that there's a lot of pressure on you, and I wish I could make it easier for you somehow…"

"That's not your responsibility," she told him. "I'm not asking for you to take care of me, or make life easier, or whatever. I'm just asking for you to notice me."

Now it was his turn for curiosity.

"Not just me," she corrected herself, "but everyone. I want you to realize that you're not the only person struggling in life."

"Okay," he answered after a moment's pause.

"Okay?" She repeated.

"Yea, okay."

"So, you'll try then?"

"Yea, I'll try. I don't really know what that means right now, but I'll try."

She smiled, but she wasn't completely convinced about Peter's change of mood. "I'm going to cancel my date tonight."

"What?" Peter shook his head. "Why? You've been getting ready for an hour!"

"Because I think I should stay here with you tonight."

"Do you think I need a babysitter?"

"No," she removed her jacket and slung it over an armchair. "I think you need company and I realize that I've been going out a lot lately, and we haven't been able to spend much time together."

"We worked on my strength last night!"

"I'm not talking about practicing your abilities," Claire told him. "That just might be the problem. We're focusing too much on our "special" selves and not caring about our normal selves. Let's just relax tonight."

"Claire, I don't want you to stay home just for me. You should go out with Jaden." Peter hated saying it. He didn't really want her going out with him, he wanted her to stay home, but he also wanted her to be happy.

"I'll go out with him some other time. You're more important," she assured him. "I mean, unless you don't want me hanging around here. Maybe you'd rather just be alone…"

"No, no," he stood quickly to stop her from putting her jacket back on. "I want you here."

She smiled. "Good, then why don't you order something for dinner and I'll call Jaden."

"Are you sure about this?"

"Absolutely," she trotted across the room to him and stood on tiptoes to place a reassuring kiss on his cheek. "I'll only be a minute. I'm going to change too, so I can be comfortable."

"You know, we could go out…" Peter suggested suddenly.

"Out?" Claire stopped on her way to the bedroom.

"Yea, like out to eat, or maybe to a movie…if you want." He motioned to her appearance. "It's just that you got yourself all fixed up, and I feel kind of guilty about you just changing into sweatpants."

She smiled. "I like sweatpants."

"I know, but if you were counting on going out…"

"We can go out if you want," she agreed. "It would be fun to get you out of the apartment."

"I'm going to ignore that comment, because I want to go out, and I don't want you to change your mind," he followed her into the bedroom and retrieved a change of clothes from the dresser that they were now sharing. "I'm going to take a quick shower, okay? I'll be fast." He smiled at her as he moved on to the bathroom, leaving her alone.

Claire waited for him to shut the bathroom door before pulling out her cell phone and dialing Jaden. He answered on the second ring.

"_I am just leaving the hospital. I'll be there soon!" _

"Hey, Jaden, actually, I'm calling because I'm afraid I have to cancel our plans for tonight."

"_Is this a joke?" _

"No, it's not," Claire moved into the living room and started pacing in circles around the coffee table. "Something's come up. I'm sorry, but I can't go out tonight."

"_But I had everything planned! I've been planning for a long time. Tonight was going to be great…" _

"You plan all our dates, Jaden." Claire reminded him.

"_Why are you canceling on me?" _

"Because there is something else that I have to do," she repeated. "I'm sorry, but we'll just have to reschedule."

"_Please tell me this isn't because of your pathetic uncle again." _Jaden wasn't going to let her off the hook that easily.

Claire hesitated. It was true that she cancelled a lot on Jaden for Peter, but usually it was because he was having a crisis with his abilities. This was the first time she had cancelled so they could just have fun. She didn't know how she would be able to explain that to Jaden though—so she didn't.

"It's not," she told him. "It's Jenny, from school. She's having this problem, and she really needs me tonight."

"_Really? It can't wait?" _

"I would feel bad if I made her wait. Trust me, if this wasn't such a serious matter I wouldn't even consider it, but she needs me…"

"_I need you," _Jaden argued.

"Jaden, stop pressing me on this one, okay?" Claire pleaded. "It's important to me."

"_I thought I was important to you," _he continued to argue.

"Right now, you're just irritating."

Jaden was quiet for a minute, and Claire wished she could take back her lecture.

"Look, I'm sorry that I can't meet you tonight, I really did want to, but my friends mean a lot to me…"

"_I know," _Jaden gave in. _"We'll reschedule for another time. Just let me know when you want to." _

"I will," Claire sighed. "Thank you for understanding."

"_I don't understand, I just know that I can't change your mind once it's made up." _

She laughed a little. "I'll call you tomorrow."

"_I'll be waiting." _

By time she had managed to get Jaden off the phone, Peter had finished his shower and had returned to the living room, fully dressed and looking better than she had seen him in a long time.

"Ready to go?" He asked Claire, putting on one of his charming smiles that only turned up half his mouth.

"I am, and you look more than ready," she slipped her cell phone into her purse as Peter retrieved her jacket for her. "So, what sounds good for dinner?"

"Anything you want, but if you happen to be having a craving for Italian, I would fully support that." Peter helped her into her jacket and obligingly pulled her long hair free from beneath the collar.

"Italian sounds great," Claire agreed. "And then how about a movie after?"

"Perfect," Peter offered her his arm and she took it as they headed toward the door. He knew that he should probably be feeling weird to be escorting his niece out for the evening, but his heart was beating furiously with excitement. Being this close to Claire was all he had been hoping for, and even though it was nothing more than an innocent dinner and movie, he couldn't help feeling elated that she had even agreed to it.

JADEN HILL

NEW YORK

Jaden shrunk deeper into the shadows as the taxi parked next to the curb; he couldn't risk them seeing him. The back door opened and Peter stepped out first, and then turned around to give Claire his hand. The two of them were laughing over a joke that Jaden was not a part of. He narrowed his eyes in their direction—as if it would do any good.

_Why do I care?_ Jaden had been asking himself this exact question over and over for the last two hours. Ever since he had spotted Claire leaving the apartment building with Peter. He should be annoyed that she cancelled on him, and lied to him, but not for the reasons that he was. He should be annoyed because it damaged his mission, but in reality he was irritated because he was jealous. _I have no reason to be jealous. I don't like her. I am in love with my girlfriend—my real girlfriend and she is so much better than Claire could ever hope to be._

"Peter wait!"

Jaden's attention was drawn to Claire's giggle. He couldn't help thinking how adorable it was. Hearing it felt addicting; he never wanted it to stop. _Stop thinking about her! _He lectured himself as he pressed up closer to the brick wall he was hiding against. Claire's laughing had started when the heel of her stiletto boot had gotten caught in a grate on the sidewalk and she was calling for Peter to help her out.

"Just hold still," Peter was saying to Claire. "I'll get you out."

"It's really stuck!" She was still laughing hysterically, which was probably only contributing to her inability to release her shoe.

"You have to stop laughing!" Peter was kneeling on the sidewalk, preparing to pull her foot free, but he had started to laugh as well and they were both being incredibly unsuccessful.

"I'm trying to!" She insisted.

"Okay, one more try…" Peter gripped her shoe tightly and pulled hard. Jaden was shocked at how easily Peter was able to pull it free; it made him wonder about the extent of Peter's powers. Losing her balance, Claire almost fell backwards, but Peter caught her easily and righted her, still laughing uncontrollably.

"Thank you!" She linked her arm with Peter's and squeezed him tight.

"Can you walk now?" He continued holding her arm as they walked together up to the ticket booth at the theater.

Jaden watched them until they had bought their tickets and gone into the theater. For a minute after they had disappeared, he stood still, staring at the front of the theater, still angrily contemplating how Claire had cancelled on their date, lied to him, and gone out with Peter. He was her uncle. She wasn't supposed to want to spend time with her uncle instead of her boyfriend.

His phone rang, and he couldn't have been more grateful for the distraction. "Hi Sasha."

"_Hey honey, I thought you might be missing me." _

"Very good guess," Jaden turned his back on the theater, not wanting to spend any more time thinking about the two of them. "How's it going with the doctor?"

"_As well as it could be," _she sighed though and he knew she wasn't very happy.

"Is he being difficult?"

"_No, he's just so damn polite. Everyone we meet, he has to treat like their royalty or something." _She grunted. _"They're sick, we're healing them, they should be grateful enough for that. We shouldn't have to treat them special." _

"Considering what'll come next for them, maybe it's a nice gesture for Suresh to be a little nice."

"_Are you seriously defending him?" _

"No," he corrected himself quickly. His night had been irritating enough without having to deal with a pissed off girlfriend as well. "I'm sorry, it's been a long night."

"_Oh? Finally tired of playing the boyfriend to that lame-ass cheerleader?" _

"No, she cancelled our date tonight."

"_What?" _

He pulled the phone away from his ear to avoid the impact of her yelling. "Don't worry, I'll deal with it."

"_Why did she cancel the date? I though you said she was obsessed with you." _

"She is," Jaden insisted. "She just had something else to do tonight."

"_What else could she possibly have to do?" _When he didn't answer, Sasha knew she had her answer. _"She's with Peter, isn't she?" _

"Yes," Jaden answered slowly.

"_Damnit, Jaden! How are we supposed to get anywhere with our mission, when you can't even keep her away from him for one night!" _

"I don't know what else I can do!" Jaden told her. "Every time I think she's becoming more attached to me, she runs back to him. She trusts him."

"_Then make her trust you as much as him, or else you'll never win." _

"How am I supposed to do that?"

"_I don't know, use your imagination." _She started talking to someone else away from the phone and when she returned to the conversation she had to say goodbye. _"The doctor wants me. He's so needy." _

"Bye, I'll call you later."

"_Don't bother calling me again until you've gained Claire's absolute trust!" _

"But…"

"_No," _she cut him off. _"This assignment is too important for you to blow, so I think I need to give you a little incentive. Until you get Claire, you don't get me." _

"Fine." Jaden hung up without another word. He was too irritated with everyone to talk to anyone right now.


	44. He's Back

_MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL! I AM GOING TO BED NOW TO AWAIT SANTA CLAUSE (not that I really believe in him…I mean come on, I'm in college) AND THEN TOMORROW I WILL OPEN MY PRESENTS, AND SO HERE IS MY PRESENT TO ALL OF YOU—2 UPDATES IN 2 DAYS! HAPPY HOLIDAYS!_

MOLLY, MICAH, NIKI

NEW YORK

"Mom, I can't find my backpack!" Micah wandered through their average-sized apartment, searching for his bag.

"Micah, I feel like we have this conversation every day." Niki cut him off in the hallway on the way to the kitchen. "You know, for being such a genius, you'd think you'd be better at keeping track of your things."

"I can't help it!" He protested. "It's just always disappearing on me."

"Your backpack isn't magical Micah, it doesn't go anywhere, you misplace it." Niki helped her son continue his search around the apartment. "Maybe you left it at school yesterday."

"No, I had it last night, because I was doing my homework."

"Right," Niki gripped her cup of coffee more tightly so she wouldn't spill it while bending down to look behind the sofa. "Have you asked Molly? Maybe she got it mixed up with her stuff."

"She's still asleep," Micah told his mom.

"Seriously?" Niki glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. "She's going to be late for school if she doesn't get up soon!" She hurried down the hallway to Micah's bedroom where Molly was sleeping for the time being; the kids switched off weeks on the couch and this was Micah's week. "Molly, sweetheart," Niki tapped on the bedroom door as she twisted the door handle and pushed on the door.

The room was still dark since heavy curtains were blocking out the morning sunlight, but from the light in the hallway, Niki could see that Molly was still sleeping soundly in the bed. She shook her head at the girl's lethargy.

"Molly, you have to get up! You're going to be late." Niki moved further into the room. "Sweetie, wake up." When Molly still didn't stir, Niki sat down on the bed and placed a hand over Molly's arm. "Molly?" Instead of waking, the girl's body started to tremble, her skin felt moist beneath Niki's hand, and she was emitting small whimpers. "Molly, please wake up…" Niki started panicking. She had heard of Molly's nightmares, of course, but she had never witnessed one at its peak before; she didn't know what to do to help Molly out of it. She tried to remember what Claire had told her, but she was too nervous at the moment to think about it.

"Mom, is everything okay?" Micah peered into the bedroom when his mom hadn't come back out.

"Micah, I need you to call Claire for me," she instructed. "Call her right now and tell her that Molly's having a nightmare, and I can't wake her up."

Micah nodded and sprinted down the hallway to retrieve the phone from the kitchen. Niki remained in the bedroom, still doing her best to wake Molly, but Molly's slight whimpers had started developing into short bursts of screaming. Her body was no longer trembling, but was now entirely stiff with tension.

"No!" Molly screamed loudly, despite her deep slumber. "Stop it!"

Niki grasped Molly's hand tightly, still pleading desperately with the girl to wake up, even though she knew it wouldn't do any good.

Micah came running back into the room with the phone in his hand. "Claire says that you have to wake her up. Do whatever it takes!"

"I don't know what that means," Niki complained.

In the next moment though, Molly had sat up, wide awake, and screaming wildly.

"What's wrong?" Niki asked instantly.

Molly continued to scream, but she took a breath long enough to squeak out: "he's back!"

"Who's back sweetie?"

"He's back," Molly gasped, and then fell silent.

"Mom…" Micah hesitated in the doorway; his eyes were focused on Molly who was staring straight ahead, but she didn't seem to see anything.

"I need to talk to Matt…" Molly said at last.

"Matt? Matt Parkman?" Niki clarified.

Molly nodded. "Right now."

"Well, sweetheart, I don't know how easy that will be," Niki glanced at the clock on the bedside table. "Plus you need to get ready for school, if you think you'll be well enough to go." She reconsidered quickly. "Maybe you should just stay home today and rest. I could write a note for you…"

"I need to talk to Matt, he'll know what to do."

Niki realized that Molly wasn't going to calm down until she got what she wanted, so she nodded and stood. "I'll be right back, okay? I have his phone number written down in the kitchen. Will you be okay for a minute alone?" Molly nodded and Niki headed out, but she stopped in the hallway to talk to her son. "Micah, watch her."

He nodded obediently and hung by the door of the bedroom, staying out, but keeping his eyes glued to Molly in case anything else went wrong.

HIRO

NEW YORK

Once he had arrived successfully back in the time that he belonged in, Hiro's first step was to check a newspaper and make sure he had in fact teleported to the right time. He didn't want to make the assumption without being sure. The paper informed him that it was the first week of March, which meant he had been in the past for nearly four months. He couldn't imagine all that he had missed in his own time. He had no idea how he would explain his absence to people who knew nothing about his ability.

He didn't have time to worry about that though, because he had a mission. The Princess had given him strict instructions to change the future—to save it. What she hadn't told him, was what he was supposed to be saving it from. Hiro knew that he would need help if he intended to change the future, as Kaori had instructed him. His instincts told him to find Peter. Peter had helped saved the world before; he would undoubtedly know how to save it this time. Finding him though, would be difficult. Hiro had never contacted Peter himself; Peter always contacted him.

_Ando would know what to do, _Hiro reminded himself, smiling for the first time since he had rematerialized in the city. He had almost forgotten how much he missed his best friend, while he had been stuck in the 1600s. _I have so much to tell him! He won't believe that I got to train with _the_ Takezo Kensei! _Since Hiro had teleported to New York—the same spot he had left from in Kirby Plaza—he needed to find a pay phone to call Ando who he assumed would still be in Japan.

The sun was already low in the sky; twilight had started to settle over the city. People still bustled about the sidewalks, jostling against each other in their haste to move on to whatever individual destinations they were pursuing. Hiro stepped out into the crowd, letting the herd carry him along.

A block down, he spotted a payphone on the corner and darted out of the throng of people. He had just reached the phone when he felt someone crash into him. He fell against the glass telephone booth and looked around, but he couldn't see anybody. He wondered if he had just imagined the strange impact, but in another moment a man had materialized, seemingly out of the air.

"Sorry to startle you, mate!" The man offered Hiro a slight grin.

"You…" Hiro gaped at the man. "How…you…"

"Don't look so confused," the man said. "I know who you are, Hiro. And you shouldn't be so shocked to meet an invisible man."

"You can make yourself invisible?" Hiro asked; he then realized that was why he hadn't been able to see the man when he had first bumped into him.

"Yes, and you can travel through space and time. Aren't we special?" The man stuck out his hand and grinned. "My name's Claude, and I need your help, mate."

MATT, NIKI, MOLLY

NEW YORK

"I got here as fast I as I could," Matt told Niki the moment she opened the door to let him in to the apartment. "How is she?"

Niki's eyes were bloodshot; she had been trying hard not to cry. "I don't know what's wrong with her. She hasn't moved since I called you. She won't speak to me, or anything. She looks terrified." Niki pressed her hands to her forehead and then pulled her fingers through her hair. "I'm so scared…I just don't know what to do for her!"

"Where is she? Let me talk to her…" Matt touched Niki's shoulder gently. He could see how much she had grown to care for the young girl, and he understood how difficult it must be for her to suffer because of Molly's sufferings.

"She's still in the bedroom…" Niki led the way down the hall to the bedroom and then ushered Matt in. She stayed out of the room, but hovered by the door within hearing distance.

"Molly," Matt knelt beside the bed where Molly sat. Her knees were tucked into her chest and she was rocking back and forth. "Molly, it's me…it's Matt…Niki said you wanted to see me."

Molly looked at Matt; her round eyes were brimming over with tears. "Matt!" She flung her thin arms around his neck and let herself cry. "He's back Matt…he's come back and he's going to find me…"

"Who's back?" Matt asked. He spoke in a whisper, trying to keep her calm, while his hands soothingly ran up and down her back. "Molly, I need you to talk to me and tell me what's going on, so I can try and help you." He stood up so he could sit on the bed with her, but she still didn't let go of him. "Niki said you had a nightmare. Were you trapped again? Claire's told me about the man who sometimes won't let you wake up. Is that who you're talking about?"

Molly finally broke her hold on Matt and sat back. She shook her head. "I was in a nightmare, but he's not the one I'm scared of right now."

"Can you tell me what you're so afraid of Molly?" He asked softly. "Tell me what you saw in your dream."

Molly took a deep breath and nodded. She was still trembling slightly, but Matt held onto her hands to reassure her. "First it was like always. He made me see people…lots of people that I didn't know…and he showed me what he could do to hurt them. Then he tried to make me locate Peter. He still can't find him, so at least that's good." She almost smiled, but it didn't stick. "Then he showed me more people…" She stopped.

"And then what?" Matt prodded her. "Who did you see?"

"He showed me the boogeyman!"

"Sylar?" Matt questioned. "Is that who you mean? You saw Sylar?"

Molly nodded. "I knew he wasn't dead. Claire told me so, but he's been gone for so long I thought he would never come back…"

"What else did he show you?" Matt knew that Sylar was alive. Claire had told him a while ago, but like Molly he had almost forgotten about him since it had been so long since Sylar had shown up.

"Nothing…I think he just wanted me to know that Sylar was coming back."

"You keep saying 'back'. Where was he?"

"I don't know," Molly shut her eyes for a minute to concentrate. She wasn't trying to locate him, just remember what she had seen in her dream. "I think he was out of the country, but he's back now…back in New York."

Matt's hand trembled a little as he reached out to grasp Molly's hand. "It's okay. He's not going to hurt you."

"How do you know?" Molly leaned forward so she could snuggle against Matt's chest; he wrapped his arms around her to offer comfort.

"Because I'm going to protect you, and Niki, and Claire, and Peter…" He kissed the top of her head. "You've got a whole team of people to take care of you. Sylar is not going to get anywhere near you! You trust us, don't you?"

She nodded. "I'm just scared."

"I know you are," Matt glanced to Niki who was still in the doorway. "And anytime you're afraid and you need someone to talk to, you know you can always call me. I'll be here in a second. And Niki's always here for you too, of course."

Niki took that as her invitation into the room and she quickly came to sit on Molly's other side. "Of course I'm here for you sweetheart," she rubbed a hand down the girl's back. "We're not going to let anyone hurt you."

Molly broke away from Matt in order to turn and give Niki a hug. "Thank you, but it's not me I'm worried about."

"Who are you worried about then?"

"The woman."

"What woman?" Niki and Matt both asked.

"I saw a woman with the boogeyman. She doesn't know what he is! She's in danger."

"Do you know who the woman is, Molly?" Matt inquired.

"I've never seen her before," Molly told him. "She was very pretty, and she had red hair. I don't know who she is though."

"We'll figure it out, sweetheart." Niki assured her. "We'll find this woman and we'll protect her from the bad guy."

"Promise?" Molly asked—her eyes were wide.

Niki glanced at Matt who nodded and gave the answer: "Yea, we promise."

_A/N: Okay, so I realize that I've probably been a little inconsistent with my timeline, vs. the show, so I'm going to explain my vision right now. After the 'bomb' in NY, it was November. The group then just sort of hung around for a while, trying to understand everything and get their lives together. That took about a month. Claire, Micah, & Molly started school during the Spring semester, so it was about January when they started. They've now been at school for a little over a month. Claire is a junior—Molly and Micah are in the same grade, which I think would be like fifth? I don't know what grade ten year olds are in. Everyone is in the same timeline. I hope this helps a little. _


	45. NotDate Night

PETER & CLAIRE

NEW YORK, PETER'S APARTMENT

"Gross! Peanut butter and popcorn?" Peter concentrated on the large bowl in Claire's lap and in a moment it had telekinetically flown into his lap. "That's it, no more popcorn for you."

"Hey! No fair using your abilities…" Claire leaned forward and took the bowl of popcorn back from Peter.

"We never set rules!" Peter protested. "You only told me I couldn't read your mind, but as far as the other powers go, I think they're fair game. If anything you should be encouraging me to practice them as often as possible."

Claire tried to think of a comeback, but Peter had a point—he should be practicing. "Fine…" she frowned at him and then smiled. "So, maybe we should create some guidelines then. You know, things you can do, things you can't…"

"You want to give me rules?"

"Yep," she ate a small handful of popcorn. "And you can give me some too, though I don't know what sort of guidelines you would have to give me. I can't really _do_ anything!"

"How about no putting yourself in harm's way on purpose, just to test yourself." Peter suggested.

Claire narrowed her eyes at him. "I don't hurt myself on purpose…"

He looked at her suspiciously.

"Okay, fine, sometimes I do, but not always," she shrugged. "Most of the time, I'm just getting hurt by accident."

"That's because you're sort of a klutz."

"I am not!" She protested.

Peter's eyes drifted to the kitchen where shattered glass on the floor brought back the memory of Claire breaking a glass only thirty minutes earlier.

"A little accident-prone, maybe," she admitted. "I'm working on it though!"

"I know you are," he smiled. "But I'm making that your rule."

"Fine," she agreed. "I won't test my pain limits anymore."

"Good," Peter once again telekinetically summoned the bowl of popcorn to himself.

Claire rolled her eyes. "Your turn."

"My turn, what?"

"It's time for your rules," she told him. "Let's see…we've already established the 'no reading my mind' rule."

He nodded.

"And…no being invisible around me."

"What?" He shook his head. "Not fair."

"When we are practicing, that's one thing, but under normal circumstances you can't be invisible. When I'm around then let me know that you're around. It's polite."

"Fine," Peter agreed. "I'll be visible when you're around."

"Also, no freezing time on me."

"I wouldn't…"

"You would," she cut him off. "In fact you have. I know you have. You think you are sneaky, but I know you've frozen me before when I was talking to you and you didn't want to listen…"

"I did that once!" Peter protested. "But you were whining about something and I didn't want to deal with it."

"I don't whine," Claire argued. "But it doesn't matter what I was talking about. You should never freeze me when we're having a conversation. It doesn't promote trust."

"Fine, I won't freeze you…" he paused and then quickly added: "unless absolutely necessary."

Claire debated arguing with him, but she knew he meant it for the best.

"Anything else?"

"Hmm…maybe a little less moodiness."

"That has nothing to do with abilities!" Peter pointed out. "You can't make rules about behavior and personality."

"Who says?"

"I do," he stated. "And I'm older, so I'm in charge."

Claire's instincts forced her to stick her tongue out at him in juvenile retaliation. At the same exact time though, Peter stuck his tongue out as well and so they were staring at each other, both with tongues hanging out like angry two-year-olds. They remained like that for a moment and then they both started laughing.

"Copy cat!" Claire accused.

"You copied me…" Peter attempted.

"Did not…" Claire hesitated. "You totally knew I was about to do that. You read my mind!"

He shook his head, but it wasn't convincing.

"You broke the rules!" Claire sighed. "I don't know why I even try…"

"You try because you care about me," Peter smiled. "And I care about you."

"Good…" she glanced at the kitchen and thought about retrieving her desired peanut butter. "Since you aren't going to obey my rules, then how about you put your ability to use. Can you summon that peanut butter for me?" She pointed to the jar on the counter.

Peter shook his head. "No, that's disgusting! Peanut butter does not belong with popcorn."

"It's good, trust me!"

He sighed, but turned his attention to the peanut butter jar and concentrated hard. It rattled on the surface and then zipped through the air and into Peter's outstretched hand. He twisted off the lid of the jar and handed it to Claire once it was open.

"Thank you," she took it happily and chose a large kernel of popcorn to dip into the jar. Once it was successfully coated with peanut butter she pulled it out and popped it into her mouth. "So good!" She took another piece of popcorn and dipped it into the peanut butter; instead of eating it she held it up for him. "You have to try it."

"No way!"

"Come on," Claire leaned forward, forcing it closer to his mouth. "Just try it."

Peter hesitated briefly, but her fingers bumped against his lips and he parted them reluctantly. She shoved the peanut butter popcorn into his mouth and waited for his reaction.

"Wow…" he mumbled once he had swallowed.

"See? It's good isn't it?"

Peter shook his head. "It's disgusting."

"It is not!" Claire kicked out her legs beneath the blanket that they were sharing on the couch; her foot only barely nudged his leg.

"Are you trying to hurt me?"

"You know you like me," Claire grinned.

Peter smiled, _if you only knew how much. _"Of course I like you Claire. You're family." For the briefest moment he could have sword he saw her smile falter, but he didn't know why it would, so he ignored it. "It's getting late," he noticed with a glance at the clock.

"So?" Claire followed his gaze. "It's not a school night…plus I'm not five."

"Yea, I'm aware of that." Peter looked away. _Perhaps a little too aware…_

Claire settled back on the couch and reached for the remote control. "Want to watch a movie?"

"Sure, anything you want." Peter also made himself more comfortable. At that moment, he could honestly say that he felt perfect. Everything felt right. He was happy and at peace. He was relaxing with the only person he could want to be with and he needed nothing else to content him.

And then her phone rang.

Claire nearly overturned the popcorn bowl in her haste to answer the call.

"Hi," she had that giggle in her voice that told Peter exactly who was on the other end of the call. "I know, I'm sorry…"

Peter wished he could hear what Jaden was saying. _That idiot, _he vented to himself. _He's probably sweet-talking her and trying to make her feel guilty for canceling on him. Pathetic crybaby…_

"Peter…"

Peter snapped out of his thoughts when he realized Claire was talking to him. "Yea?"

"Would you mind if Jaden came over and watched the movie with us?"

_Yes!_ He wanted to scream, but instead he just shrugged.

"Okay," Claire was back to the phone conversation. "How long will it take you?"

Peter watched Claire's face turn up in a smile and then she hung up the phone. "So, he's coming?"

"Yea, he'll be here in just a minute." She started automatically straightening up the room. "Do I look okay?"

"Yea, Claire, you look perfect." Peter turned on the TV. He was determined to simply ignore Jaden when he came over. Nothing was going to ruin the perfect night he had had with Claire.

It hadn't even been a full minute before Jaden was knocking on the door.

"That was fast," Peter commented as Claire responding to the door.

"Hey baby," Jaden stepped through the door and instantly gave Claire a kiss. "How's Jenny doing?"

"Jenny?"

"Yea, you said she was having a hard time…that's why you cancelled our date, right?"

Claire covered her fumble with a smile. "Right…Jenny…she's doing better, which is why I came home." She glanced at the couch. "You remember my uncle, don't you?"

Jaden nodded. "Good to see you again."

Peter just nodded in response.

"So, movie?" Claire took Jaden by the hand and led him to the couch.

Peter moved over to give Claire and Jaden more room on the couch. Claire sat next to Peter, but so close to Jaden that their legs were touching—Peter tried not to think about that fact.

"I vote that Peter chooses the movie," Claire decided, but she only seem half interested in what she was saying.

Peter glanced at her, but she was only paying attention to Jaden. He was kissing her neck and she was giggling. He wished she would giggle that way for him. He tried not to look at them, but he couldn't ignore the noises his lips made as they smacked against her skin. "Yea, I think I'm going to head out for a while."

"What?" Claire pushed Jaden away from herself as Peter stood up and moved to retrieve his jacket from the coat rack. "No, Peter, where are you going?"

"Just out," he answered. "I think you guys could use your privacy."

She frowned. "Okay, then I guess I'll see you later…" She gave him a smile. "Don't stay away too long though."

Peter looked at Jaden; his arm was already sneaking around Claire's shoulders, drawing her closer. "Don't' worry. I'll be back soon." _I wouldn't leave him alone with you. I don't trust him. _He watched Claire give into Jaden's kisses for a second before leaving the apartment.

The sound of the door shutting made Claire strangely uncomfortable. She pulled away from Jaden and leaned back against the couch.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Peter, she explained, "he's not doing very well." She stood and started to pace, as she was prone to do with trying to think things through.

Jaden watched her and let her talk.

"I have to be honest with you," she didn't look at him. "I wasn't with Jenny tonight. I was with Peter. I didn't want to tell you because you're always so annoyed when I hang out with him instead of you."

"I actually sort of assumed that you were with him," Jaden told her. "I'm not that dumb, you know?"

She smiled. "I know. I'm sorry I lied to you."

"You had your reasons."

"Yea," she sighed. "But really, I don't think it was a good idea for you to come over here. I know that you were upset about me canceling the date, and I wanted to see you, but I cancelled the date because I needed to spend time with Peter, so I should have spent the time with Peter and not with you…"

"I'm your boyfriend."

"I know that." Claire didn't understand why he was reminding her of that.

"You're _my _girlfriend!"

"Yea, I got that," Claire finally stopped pacing to stare at him. "Jaden, I don't get it. Why are you so against me spending time with Peter?"

"I'm not against that…I just wish you would spend more time with me."

"I spend a lot of time with you," she told him. "In fact I spend like every night with you. What's going on Jaden? This is weird behavior, even for you…"

He was quiet for a minute, as though he were trying to figure out what he really wanted to say. When he did speak, he stood up and moved toward her. "I need to tell you something…something that's really important…"

"Okay…" Claire worried about his tone.

"Sit down." He brought her back to the couch and she relented to sitting beside him once again, but this time they faced each other. "We've been together for a while now…"

Claire was quiet, but then Jaden was quiet and she thought he might be waiting for some sort of confirmation on her part, so she nodded quickly.

"Right, so it's been a while, and I feel like I've gotten to know you really well…"

"Same here," she agreed.

He nodded. "So what I'm trying to say is that I feel that it's been long enough for me to know how I feel about you."

"How you feel?" Claire started feeling a little nervous about where this conversation was heading.

"Yea," he continued. "Well, here it goes…" He cleared his voice and his eyes focused on her. "Claire, I love you."

For a minute Claire wondered if she had lost her ability to speak; she couldn't respond to his confession. She just stared at him, her eyes wide open, and her teeth locked together securely.

"Claire? Did you hear what I said?"

She nodded, but it still took her another minute to respond. "Okay…"

"Okay?" He repeated. "Is that seriously your response?"

Claire laughed, then realized what bad timing it was to laugh, and quickly shook her head. "No, I didn't mean it like it sounded," she assured him. "I like you too."

"You _like _me?"

"No, I mean, yes, I do, but…" she smiled at him, trying to buy herself some time to think of a way to express herself better. "It's only been a couple months."

"I know, but isn't that long enough?"

"I don't know," Claire told him honestly. "I've never been in this serious of a relationship before. I don't know what the proper amount of time is to tell someone _that_!"

"I see," Jaden shrugged. "Well, I guess it's not important. I just wanted you to know how I feel. I don't need you to feel the same to make it true for me."

"I'm not saying that it's not true, I just don't know…"

Jaden shook his head to quiet her. "Okay, there's something else I need to tell you."

"Really? Something else?" Claire questioned. "I sort of thought you covered everything."

"Yea, you'd think so, wouldn't you?" He paused, looked away from her for a moment, and then back at her. "I'm not like normal people, Claire."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm different," he tried to explain. "Some might say special, or weird, but I can do something that's not exactly normal."

"Yea, I still don't get what you're trying to say," Claire told him.

"I have an ability…sort of…if you want to call it that…"

"What is it?" Claire suddenly knew exactly what he was telling her. "What can you do Jaden?"

"I can move really fast."

A giggle erupted from Claire involuntarily. "I'm sorry…but what?"

"I'm not joking Claire!" Jaden insisted. "I'm like freakishly fast. It's not normal."

"Show me," she requested.

"Are you sure? I don't want to freak you out."

"Trust me, I'll be fine."

"Okay," Jaden stood and made sure Claire was watching him. He counted to three to give her warning and then took off.

Claire gasped. She almost thought he had vanished like Hiro and Peter could, but then she felt a slight wind on her hair. She glanced at the window, but it was closed.

"Jaden?" She pulled her knees to her chest, a little unsure of what to think of the new revelation regarding her boyfriend.

A moment later Jaden had reappeared in front of her; he was panting slightly. "See?"

"Oh my god…" She stood up and slowly closed the gasp between them. "You do move fast."

"Told you…" he was watching her expression carefully. "Did I totally freak you out?"

"No," she assured him. "I really appreciate your honesty. That shows how much you care about me."

"I just don't want to have any secrets between us."

"Me either…" she smiled, but it didn't quite light up her face like usual.

"Is there anything you'd like to tell me?"

Her smile faded, and she didn't answer. Instead she put her arms around his neck and offered up her lips to him for a kiss, which he gave her readily.

"I see I underestimated how much time you two needed alone…"

Claire pulled away from Jaden when she heard Peter coming in the door. "Hi Peter…" she smiled at Peter and then at Jaden. "It's late Jaden. I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"

"Sure baby," he kissed her briefly. "Talk to you tomorrow." Jaden stepped around Peter and out the door. Peter didn't waste a moment in shutting the door, but Jaden remained in the hallway, curious to hear the conversation that would take place inside.

"Did he behave himself?" Jaden heard Peter asking Claire.

"Of course he did," Claire responded. "He always does."

"What's wrong with you?" Peter asked her. "You look funny…"

"Just thinking," Claire told him.

"Wait, are you serious? He told you he loved you?"

Jaden didn't understand how Peter knew that.

"Did you seriously just read my mind? After everything we talked about earlier…"

_Wow, mind reading…_Jaden pondered. _That would come in handy, but if Peter's got that ability it means I really have to be careful around him…_

"Look Peter, Jaden loves me, but that's none of your business…"

"I just don't want you to jump into this too fast. Just because a guy tells you he loves you…"

"He's not just 'a guy' though, he's my boyfriend."

"It doesn't make a difference. It's only been a few months. How do you even know you can trust him?"

"Because I know I can. I love him too."

Jaden grinned when he heard Claire's announcement.

"You do?" Peter didn't seem as delighted.

"Well yea, maybe…" Claire didn't sound as convinced anymore. "I don't know if I do or not, but I could. I really like him. I might actually love him. I don't know."

"That's sort of something someone should be able to decide, right?"

"God Peter, just give me a break, okay?" Claire was getting angry now. Jaden knew that happened naturally for her after she had been confused or frustrated.

"I'm just saying, either you love someone or you don't."

"No, it's not that easy." Claire argued. "I've never been in love before, I don't know how it's supposed to feel." Jaden could have sword she sounded close to tears. "How do I know if I love him or just feel this way because of what he told me?"

"I don't know what to tell you Claire." Peter's voice was gentler than before. "I wish I could give you the answers you need, but I can't. I don't know how you should be feeling. I don't think I've ever been in love before either."

Jaden pressed closer to the door when he couldn't hear their voices anymore. For a minute he wondered where they had went, but then he realized they just weren't talking for a moment. Finally Claire spoke again.

"Peter, I'm sorry tonight didn't end the way it should have. Tonight was supposed to have been about us…you and me going out and having a good time and not worrying about anything…" Claire once again sounded close to tears. "I'm sorry. I promise I'll make it up to you some other time, but I just want to go to bed now. I'm tired and I have so much to think about…"

"It's fine Claire," Peter's voice was moving and Jaden assumed he was changing locations within the apartment. "You gave me a great night. You should go to bed, try to get some sleep."

Jaden had heard all he wanted to hear, and so he left the apartment, instantly pulling out his cell phone to pass on news of his accomplishment to his real girlfriend.

MOHINDER & SASHA

FLYING SOMEWHERE OVER THE UNITED STATES

"Should we go over it again, just to make sure we don't have any confusion?"

"Sasha, we don't need to go over it again," Mohinder assured her. "I understand our agenda. When we land, you and I will go our separate ways for twenty-four hours. I will live my life, free from your partnership, and you will live yours. When the time is up, I will meet you at the airport and we will continue on with the next assignment, which you will know by then."

Sasha smiled curtly. "Yea, that's right, Dr. _Sarcasm_." She leaned forward in her seat so she could look out the plane window, around Mohinder. "So, what are you going to do with your twenty-four hours?"

Mohinder turned to look out the window as well; he would look anywhere except for at her. The plane was descending and the lights from the city below were visible through the misty expanse of dark night clouds. It was a beautiful view, possibly one of the most beautiful skylines Mohinder had ever seen. The beauty, he knew, came from a different source than the faint glimmer of the harbor or the glowing Space Needle. It was the promise of seeing Madeline that made the city beautiful to him. He had no interest in telling Sasha that though.

"What are you going to do?" He returned the question without answering it.

"That's my business," she told him.

"You asked me first, I assumed it was fair for me to ask you as well." Mohinder replied, with every bit as much attitude as she expressed toward him.

She shrugged her shoulders and pulled a stick of gum from the pocket of her jeans as the plane started its final descent. She shoved the gum in her mouth and turned away from him, ending the conversation.

They still weren't talking much by the time they had colleted their luggage and headed outside to look for a taxi. Mohinder knew exactly where he was going. He had told Sasha that he wanted to head home and get some sleep, but he really only had one thought on his mind and in order to accomplish it successfully, he wanted to be far away from Sasha, and so they took separate taxis.

"Where to?" The driver asked, once Mohinder's bags had been loaded and the taxi had pulled away from the curb.

"The hospital, please," Mohinder directed the driver as he stared out the window, watching Sasha climb into a taxi of her own still at the curb. He couldn't understand why he was so curious about her destination, but it bothered him not to know what she would be doing in Seattle for a day. Perhaps it was because she was such a secretive person and in the weeks they had been working together, he still hardly knew anything about her personal life.

The hospital was only a short drive from the airport, and so once the taxi had maneuvered out of the airport congestion, they only took fifteen minutes to arrive at the hospital. Mohinder paid the driver, tipped him well, and lugged his duffel bag and briefcase into the hospital, heading directly to the elevator to travel up to the very familiar floor. When the elevator dinged and the doors opened at the wanted floor, Mohinder felt a comforting relief that he hadn't experienced in weeks. Something about walking this hallway again gave him comfort that he had deeply missed. It only took him a minute to reach the door of Michael's hospital room.

"May I come in?" Dr. Suresh asked as he paused in the open doorway.

Mohinder had never experienced a reaction like he received from Madeline. She squealed, quite literally, rushed across the floor, and threw her arms around his neck.

"You're back!" She gasped into his ear.

"I told you I would be back eventually," Mohinder reminded her. He dropped his bag and briefcase, letting the crash onto the linoleum floor, so he could adequately wrap his arms around her waist. "Did you doubt me?"

"I was starting to," she admitted.

"I told her you wouldn't be able to stay away for too long," Michael spoke up from his bed.

Mohinder looked up, paying attention to his patient for the first time, and was glad to see that Michael was sitting up and he looked much better than he had when Mohinder left sixteen days ago. "You look well."

"I feel well," Michael confirmed. "I've been feeling better every day."

"I'm glad to hear it," Mohinder told him. He kept one arm around Madeline, but walked her back over to her brother's bedside.

"I've even been taking some walks around the hospital…always in short spurts, but it's been good to finally stretch my legs."

"I think it's good for him to get some exercise." Madeline told Mohinder. "I've been making sure that he doesn't get too fat and lazy."

"Who's fat?" Michael protested.

"It's all that pudding you've been eating here," Madeline joked with him.

"She's glad you're back, Doc," Michael told Mohinder. "I can tell."

"Oh?" Mohinder glanced sideways at Madeline and then back at her brother. "How can you tell?"

"It's her eyes," Michael explained. "See how they're sparkling?"

"Mike!" Madeline blushed, but she didn't try to deny it.

"And she's teasing me now. She hasn't done that in a while," Michael told him. "It's because of you. You put her in a good mood."

Mohinder smiled at Michael. "She puts me in a good mood too."

Madeline let out an exaggerated sigh and leaned forward to plant a kiss on her brother's cheek. Then she stood on tiptoes to kiss Mohinder's cheek as well. "What would I do without my boys?"

"I don't have a clue," Michael told her. "You'd probably be miserable…sad…alone..."

"Yea, I get the point," she rolled her eyes, but she was rubbing her hand across Mohinder's back, showing how content she was. "So, are you back for good?"

"I wish," Mohinder told her truthfully. "I have twenty-four hours and then I am meeting Sasha at the airport for our next assignment."

"It's not fair," Madeline complained. "I've missed you so much, and I don't even get a full week with you!"

"I know, it isn't fair," he agreed. "Trust me, if I had it my way, I'd never leave you again, but it's my job…"

"Say that again," she told him.

"What part?" He questioned; he was trying to remember exactly what he had said.

"About never leaving me…"

Mohinder smiled down at her. "If I only had one wish, it would be to stay here with you, forever."

She smiled up at him, for a minute not saying anything, and then she smiled. "God, I missed you."

"Yea, okay, you two want to be alone, I can tell." Michael spoke up from the bed. "If I were well enough to leave on my own, I would, but I think it would be better if you two just took off."

"But…"

"No sis, don't argue," Michael cut her off. "I'm tired anyway. I should sleep now."

"All right, you convinced me," Madeline gave her brother another quick kiss while Mohinder picked up his bags.

"I'll be back to check on you before I leave," Mohinder assured his patient.

"I look forward to it," Michael waved at him. "Take good care of my baby sis."

"I will," Mohinder promised.

"Sweet dreams," Madeline smiled at her brother as she took Mohinder's free hand and the two exited his room.


	46. Emotions Are Key

SYLAR & EMILY

NEW YORK CITY

"I feel like it's been forever since I've been back," Emily sighed as she pressed her nose up against the windowpane of the backseat of the taxicab. "Not that I'm back exactly," she corrected herself, "considering I've never lived in New York."

"You're going to love it here," Sylar told her. "There's just something about the city…it's like a drug."

"I don't know how I feel about that description," Emily replied. "Drugs don't convey a very flattering image, do they?"

"No," Sylar smiled. "I guess not."

"Has the company contacted you again yet?" Emily asked. She glanced at her cell phone to check the time. "It's after seven there."

Sylar shook his head. "I expect it will only be a matter of minutes now."

"What are you going to say to them?"

"I don't know. Maybe it would be better if I just didn't answer the call." Sylar thought for a minute and then changed his answer. "Actually, it would probably be best if I just ditched my phone. Who knows what sort of tracers they've put on it."

"That's probably a smart idea," Emily agreed. "The company knows no boundaries in regards to the lengths they will take to keep tabs on their employees…or their prisoners."

Sylar nodded. "Yea…we can't risk them discovering us after all we went through to get away." He tapped on the plastic divider to get the driver's attention. "Could you pull over for a moment?"

The driver nodded and pulled off the road. Sylar told Emily to wait in the car and he climbed out, moving around to the front of the car. He took his cell phone from his pocket and placed it on the pavement, directly in front of the front tire of the taxi. He then returned to the door and slid back into his seat beside Emily.

"Continue," he beckoned the driver, and he started up the car and pulled forward. Sylar listened to the slight crunch of his cell phone as the car drove over it and he smiled. "I am not going to let them find you, ever."

Emily started to smile, but then she reminded herself that she couldn't trust him, and so she just nodded and turned to watch the city scenery flit by the window.

"I secured us a loft in the village," Sylar told her. "I didn't know what you'd want, but I only got one. I know you probably have no desire to share an apartment with me, but I sort of thought it would be safer if we stayed together…"

"It's fine," Emily told him. "It better at least have two bedrooms though."

Sylar nodded. "Of course it does. I would never want to presume that you would still share a bedroom with me after everything…"

"Good," she cut him off. "Whatever you and I had together…whatever our relationship might have been before…we're not going to return to that place. Not ever."

"Fine," Sylar agreed easily. He didn't want to create an argument at that moment, even though he definitely wasn't settled on the issue.

"Here you are," the driver announced as he once again pulled the cab up to the sidewalk and parked.

"This is it?" Emily asked, looking out the window and up at the four story apartment complex.

"Yea, I know it's not much," Sylar sighed. "But it's not like I had a lot of time to prepare. I got what I could in an hour."

"Don't worry," Emily told him. "It's just fine." It wasn't a very glamorous building, or neighborhood for that matter, but it looked new and clean, which was all that mattered since they were technically in hiding.

The driver unloaded the few bags from the trunk, Sylar paid him the fare, and he drove away, leaving Sylar and Emily on the sidewalk—their luggage at their feet—staring up at their new residence. Neither seemed anxious to take the first step into the apartment. Something about being there, all of a sudden, and knowing that a new branch of life was about to begin was overwhelming. Emily didn't know how she would live in a new country, hiding from her father's evil company, with a man whom she didn't entirely trust. And Sylar wasn't sure how long he'd be able to stay hidden in New York before his past caught up to him. He knew that he would have to face his own evil truths eventually, and in doing so he would have to be completely honest with Emily. She was a part of his life, even if she wasn't ready to be romantic with him again.

Suddenly a voice echoed in Sylar's ears—a familiar voice. His abilities had become so natural to him, that sometimes he forgot that he even had them, until one of them unexpectedly kicked in, alerting him to something that he should be paying attention to. At this moment, it was the voice that his super-hearing was alerting him to.

"Ready to go in?" He urged Emily up the steps, towards the front door of the complex. He knew that he'd have to face his past eventually, but he hadn't been prepared for it to catch up to him so soon. Emily still seemed hesitant, but when Sylar picked up his own bags and one of hers, she followed him up the steps and through the open door.

Once inside, he shut the door and waited for the owner of the voice to catch up to them. He counted to five and then he saw her, rounding the corner and skipping down the sidewalk; a young man held her hand and walked quickly beside her. She passed over the exact spot that he had been standing in a moment before with Emily. If they hadn't moved, she would have discovered him. She never knew him, not really, but she would recognize him instantly after everything he had put her through.

_How will I ever live here after what I've done? _He wondered silently as he watched the girl. She was laughing happily; clearly she had finally found a peace that had been absent from her the last time he had seen her. _How can I ever tell them how sorry I am? Why should they believe me? _

"Gabriel?" Emily spoke up beside him. "Is something wrong?"

Sylar shook his head, but still stared out the window. He watched until she had disappeared around the next corner. _I'm sorry that I ever tried to hurt you, Claire. _

CLAIRE & JADEN

NEW YORK

"You're so going to be late for work!" Claire taunted Jaden as they ventured through the side streets of the city. For the past few days, Claire had gotten used to the new routine she and Jaden had set up. He met her at school, they would get coffee, and then she would walk him to work. They always took the side streets, the ones that were less busy than main streets, so that they would only have to maneuver through smaller crowds.

"I could always run," Jaden reminded her. "But I'm not going to be late. My shift doesn't start for another fifteen minutes."

"Yea, but the way we've been going, it will take another thirty!"

"You're the one who wanted to take the long way around," Jaden laughed. "So, _if _I'm late for my shift, it's going to be your fault."

"But you won't be late," she also laughed. "You just said so yourself."

"If I run…"

"Then maybe you should run."

"Then I'd have to say goodbye to you."

Claire smiled at him. "I want to run with you."

"I…" he hesitated. "I've never tried that before…" Of course in his mind, he was only thinking of Sasha. _She'd be so pissed if she found out I ran with anyone other than her. _

"So, try now," Claire urged.

He smiled, and since he couldn't think of a reason not to, he nodded. "Okay, we have to make sure that nobody is watching," he told her as he looked around to check. "And I have to hold you."

"Fine with me," Claire assured him with a smile. "Should I ride on your back?"

He grinned, but shook his head. "I'll just carry you, okay?"

"Okay," she agreed. She also took a look around to make sure they wouldn't be noticed by any passersby, and then she wrapped her arms around his neck and waited for him to lift her up into his arms.

"Don't be afraid. I won't drop you."

"I trust you," she told him.

Jaden kissed her cheek. "I know you do baby." _That's why it's going to be so easy to get what I need out of you. _"It might feel a little funny since you won't be used to it, but just keep on breathing and it will be over before you know it."

"I'm ready." Claire held on tightly, closed her eyes, and waited.

"Here we go," Jaden made sure he was holding on to her securely and then he ran. It only took him two and a half minutes to run the remaining twenty blocks that they would have had to walk to the hospital. He stopped around the corner from the main entrance, in an alley so nobody would see. "How do you feel?" He set Claire down, but kept his hands around her waist in case she was unstable.

"A little light headed," she confessed. "But surprisingly not that bad."

"Good," he took his hands away from her, but she wobbled, so he returned them.

"That was very fast…"

"I told you it would be."

"I know you said fast, but I mean that was like light speed."

"I think light speed might be a little faster than me," Jaden grinned.

"Yea, probably," Claire agreed. "Well, you're at work. I guess it's time for us to say goodbye."

"That's never something I look forward to."

"Me either," Claire sighed. "But it's always inevitable, isn't it? You're going to call me tomorrow, right?"

"Of course," Jaden promised. "You know, I still have a few minutes before my shift starts. Want to walk me in?"

"Sure," Claire agreed quickly. "I'm in no hurry." She followed him into the hospital and up to the third floor where the interns' locker room was located. "I don't think I'm supposed to go in there."

"Yea, you're not," Jaden confirmed. "So, now I guess is when that 'goodbye' comes."

"I guess so," Claire sighed and turned her chin up towards him. "Have fun."

"Thanks baby," he bent his head to reach her lips and kissed her briefly.

"See you later," she waved over her shoulder and skipped off down the stark-white hall back towards the elevators. After pressing the button, Claire couldn't help overhearing two doctors who were discussing one of their patients, only a few feet from where she stood. They clearly thought they were being discreet, but they obviously didn't realize anyone was within hearing range.

"So, the kid says it was an accident, but he won't say anything else about it." One of the doctors was saying.

Claire wasn't particularly intrigued in the conversation, but since she was waiting for the elevator, she started listening for entertainment.

"Yea, he seems pretty messed up. We've already called social services. They're going to come and try to talk to him." The other doctor responded.

"I don't know what to think," the first doctor stated. "He seems fine. Healthy and together, I mean a little freaked out, perhaps, but I can't see anything particularly wrong with him."

"Have you done a full physical?"

"Not yet. Since he's being so tight-lipped, we haven't done it completely yet. We were sort of hoping that he'd give us some more information…he won't talk to the cops or the nurses…it's weird."

"Do you even know his name?"

"Nope. Like I said, he's not saying anything more than 'it was an accident' which really doesn't help any of us much. I mean, his dad was fried! It was like he got struck by lightening or something. How does that happen accidentally? How does that even happen at all?"

"I don't know."

Both the doctors fell silent, each one studying their charts intensely.

At this point, Claire was much more curious than she had been when they started talking. The elevator arrived, but she turned away from it, pretending to be looking at a schedule posted on the wall beside the elevator, so she could continue to eavesdrop on the doctors' conversation. She didn't know why she was so curious, but she couldn't pull herself away. It felt very important for her to figure out what they were talking about.

"So, what should we do with him for now?" One of the doctors asked the other.

"Just keep him calm, I guess."

"I just wish someone could get through to him," the first doctor shrugged. "I can't imagine what he's going through seeing his dad die like that…"

Claire glanced over her shoulder down the hallway where multiple doors revealed the assortment of occupants there at the moment. She wondered if she could find the boy they were talking about, and even if she did find him, she wondered if she could do anything for him. _Why am I even thinking about this? _She gave herself one more second to consider what she was thinking and then marched down the hallway. Passing the open doors, she peered into each room until she discovered one whose only occupant was a teenage boy. What she hadn't counted on was recognizing him.

"Sam?"

The boy looked up as she called his name from the door. His chubby cheeks were blotchy and the skin around his eyes appeared swollen—most likely due to excessive crying.

"Hi…" Claire took a hesitant step into the room. "Do you remember me? We go to school together…I'm Claire."

He nodded slowly and shifted his short legs beneath the blanket that he had wrapped around himself. "I know…" His voice shook a little, and he was so quiet that Claire had to move further into the room just to hear him.

"Are you okay?" She didn't know what to say. She still didn't fully understand what had prompted her to seek out the boy that the doctors spoke of and now that she recognized him it was even more awkward.

His eyes shifted nervously to either side of Claire. He seemed to be scanning the hallway behind her, checking for anyone else who might be listening. Then he dropped his voice even lower and Claire had to move even closer. "It was an accident."

"Yea, I heard the doctors saying that, which is actually sort of why I came in here. I don't know why…" she also looked out into the hallway. She realized it might seem strange if a doctor walked in and found her here for no good reason. "I was curious I guess…maybe concerned…"

Sam's eyes crinkled as he stared at her. "You're different."

Claire wasn't sure what he meant by that word. "Different how?"

"Cheerleaders are usually pretty self-absorbed."

"Yea, they are," Claire agreed easily.

He smiled at her admittance; his smile made his eyes sparkle and he seemed less scared or upset. "You're not though. Not always anyway. Sometimes I think you might be, when I see you at school with all the other cheerleaders, but then when you're alone…you're different."

"I don't ever want to be like them," Claire told him. She didn't know why she felt so comfortable talking to him, but for some reason it just seemed easy.

"It's hard to be yourself sometimes," he told her. "I know what that's like."

Claire smiled. For some reason she believed him, that he really did know what it was like. Of course nobody could understand exactly how much of herself she had to hide, but still, she felt that she could relate to him on some level. "I know you don't really know me…" she moved even closer to him until she was only a couple feet from the bed. "I haven't really made much of an effort to get to know you at school, but if you need someone to talk to…or if you _want_ someone to talk to…"

"What are you doing here?" He asked suddenly.

"I…" she hesitated. It was a quick switch of conversation and she hadn't been prepared to answer questions, only to listen if need be. _If I want him to be honest with me, then I have to be honest with him_. "My boyfriend's an intern here. He picked me up from school and then I walked him to work. I was on my way out when I heard the doctors talking about you." She paused. "I didn't know it was you though…"

"You're dating a doctor?"

Claire smiled. "An intern. I know what you're thinking. I've seen that look before…it's the same expression my uncle had when I told him…and my dad for that matter. But Jaden's not like old or anything. He's only twenty-one."

"And you're a junior right?"

"Right," Claire nodded. She briefly wondered why he knew her grade—she had no idea what his was.

"I'm a freshman," he told her, seeming to read her confusion.

"That would explain why we don't have any classes together."

"Yea."

"So…" Claire shifted her weight to one leg. "Are you sick or hurt?"

"No, it's nothing like that."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"To you?" The concept seemed to genuinely confuse Sam. "Really?"

"Yea, if you want. I know we're not exactly friends, but I've been told that I'm a good listener." Claire glanced back at the door. "From what the doctors said, you haven't been saying much, so I don't really understand why you're here…I mean you don't look hurt…a little maybe…" she noticed a few cuts and bruises visible on his arms and legs where the hospital gown didn't cover.

Sam shook his head. "I'm not hurt. It's my dad."

"Oh? Is he here too?"

"He's dead," Sam told her bluntly.

"I'm so sorry!" Claire felt a little bad for brining up the sore subject. "Was it recent?"

"A couple hours ago," Sam explained.

"Oh god…" Now Claire felt even worse. "Sam…"

"That's why I'm here. He died…it was an accident. I don't even know how to explain how it happened. No one can. He…he was electrocuted."

"Electrocuted?"

"Yea," Sam nodded. "I called 911, because I didn't know what else to do, and when they came, they didn't know how to explain what happened, but I was the only one there…"

"They think you did it?" Claire asked.

"I told them it was an accident, but I don't think they know what to do with me. They brought me here. I think they thought I was in shock because I wasn't really talking to anyone."

"Sam…" Claire knew she was going to regret asking, but she had to know. "Is there any way that you did do it?"

"What?" Sam's voice rose and Claire knew she had upset him.

"I know it sounds horrible, and I'm sorry for even saying it, but is there any possibility that you could have accidentally done it…"

"You think I accidentally killed my father?"

"It was just a thought…" Claire hurriedly tried to calm him down. She could see color rising up his neck and his eye were narrowing angrily. "It's just that, I've learned in my life that sometimes people are capable of things that they never knew could happen…certain abilities or powers…not always good things…"

"Abilities?" Sam repeated, but he didn't seem to be calming down at all. "Why are you accusing me of something so…so bad! I didn't kill my dad!" His eyes suddenly flashed bright white—the iris hidden entirely—and then a bolt shot of what appeared to be electricity shot from his eyes directly at Claire. The bolt tore through her shoulder; she screamed at the pain and dropped to her knees. Sam's eyes settled back to normal and he caught his breath, realizing what he had done. "Claire!" He jumped up from the hospital bed and rushed to her side. "Oh Claire…I'm so sorry…I didn't know I could…I didn't mean to…"

"Sam, it's okay," she gasped for breath. "I'm fine…"

"No, you're hurt! You're bleeding, and there's a hole in your shoulder." He helped her stand and brought her to the bed that he had been using. "I'll get a doctor."

"Sam, wait!" She stopped him before he could run into the hall and alert the nearest doctor of her injury. "I'm okay…"

"But…"

"No, you don't understand." She grabbed his arm and pulled him closer. His eyes focused on her wound, still visible through the hole in her shirt. "You just shot me with electricity from your eyes…that's not normal."

"I don't know how…"

"I know you don't, but I do." She smiled. "Remember those people with abilities that I was telling you about?" She waited for him to nod before continuing. "Well, you're one of them. And so am I." She rolled back the neckline of her sweater until her shoulder was free. "Watch." It only took another moment before her skin started knitting itself together over the quarter-sized wound that his electric bolt had created in her shoulder.

"How did you do that?"

"It's just something that I can do," she replied simply. "It's no different than what you can do…except well technically it is but you know what I mean. We're both different—special."

"I guess so," Sam smiled. "I can't control what I can do."

"You did kill your father didn't you?" Claire felt a little rude to ask, but it seemed very clear now. "Accidentally, but it was you…"

He nodded. "He just made me so angry…and then before I knew what had happened he was dead."

"Why did he make you angry?"

Sam didn't answer, but he tugged at the hospital gown, attempting to cover more skin.

"Sam, was your dad hurting you?" It made sense when Claire thought about it. If his powers were connected to his emotions, as most were, then they would undoubtedly get out of control if he were being abused. It would be his body's natural way of defending itself. "I know you must be scared. It's not easy to adjust to these abilities right away, but you have to accept that this was an accident. I've known others who had a difficult time controlling their powers in the beginning, but you'll get used to them. Most of the times they're tied to your emotions. You have to figure out how to control your emotions so you can control your power. What happened with your dad…it wasn't your fault…"

There was a knock on the door and a nurse stepped into the room. She gave Claire a slight smile and then shook her head. "Oh, umm, I'm sorry but visiting hours are over."

"Right," Claire smiled at Sam. "I'll see you at school, okay?" She started to leave then turned back, pulled a pen from her purse, and quickly scribbled on his hand. "This is my cell number if you want to talk more."

"Thank Claire," he gave her a full smile and waved as she left.


	47. Varieties of Relationships

_A/N: Okay, so earlier I know I said Janice was supposed to be due before Christmas, but since I have now established the timeline a little better, and have decided to make it spring, then Janice is technically going to be due in April. Sorry about he confusion. _

MATT & JANICE

NEW YORK

"Stop right there!"

Matt paused with his hand hovering above the doorknob. He turned to his wife who had called to catch his attention. "Hi honey. I thought you were taking a nap."

"Yea, that would have been convenient for you, huh?" She took a few wobbly steps towards him; her hands were supporting her very large belly.

"Convenient?"

"Don't play dumb with me," Janice reprimanded him. "You've been sneaking out of here every morning all week, and then you sneak back in after I've gone to bed. I've started to wonder if I really have a husband at all anymore."

"I'm sorry," he sighed. "Work has been keeping me so busy lately…I just want to make sure we have enough money."

"Enough money?"

"Yea, for us, and now for the baby…"

"Matt," Janice sighed. "We would have enough money without your working ten hours a day!"

"Maybe," Matt shook his head. "I just want everything to be perfect."

Janice smiled. "It would be more perfect if my husband was home with me every once in a while. I know this new job has been difficult for you, but it's been difficult for me too. I've had to adjust to a new city, without a job, and a pregnancy, and I don't even feel like I have my husband's support!"

"You do!" He assured her. "You have nothing but my support."

"Then show it once in a while," Janice demanded. "If it was just work, maybe I wouldn't mind so much, but I know you've been going over to visit that little girl too."

"Molly?" Matt wondered how she had figured that out. He didn't know why it had been so important for him to keep it a secret, but he didn't think Janice would understand somehow, and judging by her reaction, he clearly had been right.

"I know she's important to you, but you can't be her father and the father of our baby at the same time."

"I can…" Matt protested, then he corrected himself. "I mean…that's not what I'm trying to do. I don't want to be her father, I just want to take care of her. She has nobody!"

"She's living with those people, Niki and DL, and their son. They are taking care of her. She's part of a family, like I'm hoping our child will be."

"What does that mean?"

"I don't know Matt," Janice stopped herself from rambling on and saying something she would regret. "I just don't know what to do. I'm seven months pregnant, and I feel like I'm in it all by myself."

"You're not," Matt promised her. "I'm here. I am here every step of the way."

"You're not though."

"I will be," Matt pulled her into his arms and pressed his cheek against her hair. "From now on, I will be. I promise. I'm sorry that I haven't been around as much as you need me to be. I'm going to do better."

"I hope you mean that," Janice returned his hug, but she was speaking quietly. "I love you, but I don't know how much more of it I can take by myself."

MOLLY, MICAH & NIKI

"Molly, sweetie, the phone's for you," Niki handed her cell phone to the girl, who took it eagerly.

"Hello?"

"_Hi Molly." _

"Matt! Are you on your way?"

"_Actually, that's what I'm calling about." _

"Is something wrong?" Molly closed her eyes and concentrated. She had been practicing finding Matt so often that he had become the easiest for her to locate; she was able to pull up a mental image of him in only ten seconds. "I can see you," she told him. "But I can figure out where you are…" she focused her mind better. "It looks like an office. Are you still at work?"

"_Yea, I am," _he confirmed. _"I'm sorry, Molly, but I'm not going to be able to pick you up today." _

"Why not?"

"_It's Janice, she needs me to come home after work today." _

"Is she okay?"

"_Yea, she is, she's just a little lonely. I've been spending so much time with you this past week, and I haven't been spending enough time with my wife." _Matt told her honestly. "_I've been having a lot of fun with you Molly, but I need to take care of my wife right now." _

"I understand," Molly replied. Though she was only ten, she really did understand because she could figure out the importance of priorities for a man and his wife. "I'll miss you."

"_I'll miss you too Princess," _Matt sighed. _"Remember, you can call me anytime." _

"I know," Molly gripped the phone tightly. "I hope you and your wife have a good time together."

"_Thanks." _

"I love you Matt."

"_I love you too."_

Molly waited until she heard the click that signaled Matt had ended the conversation, before she snapped the cell phone shut. With a sigh, and slightly droopy shoulders, Molly turned back to Niki to return her phone.

"What's wrong sweetie?"

"He's not coming," Molly told her.

"I'm sorry sweetie," Niki rested the tray she was carrying in one hand on her shoulder for balance, so she could use her other arm to pull Molly into a brief hug. "I'm sure he wanted to. He cares so much for you."

"He said that his wife wanted him at home."

"Well, he has been spending a lot of time with you lately, and you know his wife is expecting a baby in only a few weeks," Niki tried comforting the little girl. "I'm sure that he'll come around tomorrow ready to take you out to ice cream or whatever it is you two do together."

Molly shrugged, "I hope so."

"I've got to get this tray out to my tables. I'm off in fifteen minutes, but until then why don't you go sit with Micah in the back room and get some homework done?"

Molly smiled and slipped out from beneath Niki's arm so she could get back to her work. She found Micah where his mom had said he would be, busily scribbling out answers to his math homework at a table in the back room where the employees stashed their personal belongings and hung out during breaks. Molly dropped into the chair beside him and started pulling her own schoolbooks from her backpack.

"I sort of miss being able to go straight home after school," Micah complained.

"I know, me too," Molly agreed. "She's just trying to protect us though."

"If you hadn't told her that the bad guy had come back, then she wouldn't be so paranoid all the time."

Molly glared at him. "She should be paranoid! The boogeyman is very dangerous. He kills people. He's tried to kill me." Her voice started to grow with emotion as she remembered her previous run-in with Sylar.

"I know Molly, I'm sorry." He tried to appease her sudden terror. "Don't worry. He's not going to find you again. Mom would never let anything happen to you. Trust me. She could totally kick his ass…"

"Micah! Watch your language!"

The kids' heads spun at the sound of Niki's voice behind them.

"Hey mom…" Micah grinned at her. "I didn't know you were there."

"Clearly," Niki shook her head at him, but returned his smile. "So, who's ass am I kicking?"

"The bad guy that Molly's scared of."

"You mean Sylar?" Niki clarified.

The kids nodded.

"You're not still thinking about him, are you sweetheart?" Niki moved to Molly's side. "You know Matt and I aren't going to let that man anywhere near you…"

"I know," Molly smiled. "I just can't get him out of my head."

"I'm sorry," Niki pulled Molly into the second hug of the afternoon. "I wish there was something else I could do to reassure you, but for now I guess we'll just have to take it one day at a time, right? Anyway, the restaurant's slow, so I'm able to get off early. Are you kids ready to go home?"

Molly nodded. She knew Niki only wanted to help, but the way Molly was feeling wasn't something that she could express very well to anyone else. Sylar had killed her parents and then he had tried to kill her. The fear she had for him was unlike anything she had ever known, and she knew it would never go away.

HIRO & CLAUDE

NEW YORK

"So, you want to save the world too?" Hiro clarified, staring curiously at the stranger who had introduced himself as Claude, once he had stopped being invisible.

"Yes, but we can't do it alone, mate." Claude grinned.

"We?" Hiro frowned. "Who is _we_?"

Claude shrugged. "If you care to find out, then you and I can take a little trip to headquarters and you can meet the team."

Hiro stared at Claude blankly. Things had gotten too complicated, too fast. He hadn't even been back in real time for a day, and already a stranger with the power of invisibility was trying to convince him that his help was needed to save the world. Of course, Hiro wanted to save the world. It's part of the reason he came back from the ancient past. He hadn't expected to be approached by anyone. The last time he had been dealt the responsibility of saving the world, he had been forced to initiate it all on his own. Having a team could be a nice change.

"How do I know I can trust you?" Hiro questioned.

"You don't," Claude answered truthfully. "I could give you my word, if I thought it would help any. But the truth is, you don't know me, so what good is my word going to be to you?"

"No good at all."

"So, is that it then? Do we part ways here or do you take a chance and trust me long enough to find out what I'm talking about?"

Hiro took another moment to think about it. Every one of his instincts told him to run away as fast as he could. He knew that bad guys were good at lies and trickery. He couldn't be sure if this guy was legitimate. It could be a ploy to get Hiro alone so he could kill him…or torture him for information. Either way, the outcome didn't seem too good for Hiro. He glanced at Claude, trying to read the truth in his gray eyes.

"Come on mate, I don't have all day."

Finally, Hiro nodded. At the moment he didn't know what else he could do. If Claude was telling the truth, then this opportunity would be too good to pass up. "Yes, I will go with you."

"Good, then how about teleporting the both of us across town. It will be faster, and since we've already taken up so much time with you making up your mind, time isn't something we've got a lot of anymore."

Hiro nodded. He didn't see the harm in using his ability with someone who clearly already knew all about it. "Where to?"

MOHINDER & MADELINE

MADELINE'S HOME, SEATTLE

"I can't believe you never came here before," Madeline told Mohinder as she inserted the key into the lock of her front door and pushed it open.

"Yes, I always thought it was a bit strange as well," Mohinder joked. "I started wondering if you were perhaps homeless and were too embarrassed to admit it to me."

"Very funny," Madeline's hand automatically located the light switch on the wall beside the door and she flipped it on, illuminating the entryway of her home with a soft light. "Please, come in, and make yourself at home."

Mohinder crossed over the threshold slowly, letting himself take in all the details of her home. Finally seeing where Madeline lived felt like some sort of reward. They had been together for weeks before he had to leave with Sasha, and he had enjoyed every moment of their time together, but seeing where she lived for the first time was like the next step in their relationship.

"Your house is very nice," Mohinder complimented as she led him into the living room. It was furnished in hues of ivory and red, with dark brown leather couches.

"Would you like something to drink?"

"Sure," Mohinder started following her to the kitchen, but he was distracted by a small animal suddenly weaving around his ankles. "You have a cat…"

"Was that a question?" Madeline laughed and returned to Mohinder's side, bending down to pick up the large Siamese cat. "This is Ruby."

Mohinder stroked the cat's soft head gently. "It's nice to meet you Ruby."

Madeline smiled at him. "Do you like animals?"

"I don't dislike animals," Mohinder replied.

"From that answer though, I'm going to assume that you don't have any pets of your own."

"That would be a good assumption."

"Well, as long as you are accepting of them, then I suppose we won't have any problems." Madeline put the cat back down and took Mohinder's hand, leading him into the kitchen. "Ruby's not my only pet."

"Oh?"

"See, I sort of like animals," Madeline turned on the kitchen light and Mohinder instantly spotted two more cats perched on the counter.

"I can see that."

"Ruby's mine, but these two are technically strays," Madeline told him. "They don't have any homes of their own, so they come around here whenever they feel like having a rest indoors. Plus I feed them, so they come around a lot." She briefly rubbed her knuckles across the heads of the other two cats on the counter. "I've given them names though."

"Of course you have," Mohinder smiled at her slightly childish charm. "Are there any other wild beasts I should be aware? I'd rather not be woken in the middle of the night to find a gerbil nibbling my ear or something."

"A gerbil?" Madeline laughed. "Thank you so much for that mental image. I don't have a gerbil; I do have two dogs though. They're hanging around here somewhere, probably upstairs. They've been sleeping in my brother's room since he's been at the hospital." She paused for a moment. "I also have a few birds, but I let them roam free mostly."

"In the house?"

"No, outside. They like it out there," Madeline told him as she started searching through the refrigerator for drinks. She settled on two cans of diet soda.

"And the birds come back to you?"

"Always."

"That's remarkable," Mohinder decided.

"They just know where their home is," she shrugged. "Would you rather have wine?"

"Whatever you want," Mohinder answered. He had never cared much for wine, but he knew that she enjoyed it every once in a while. It calmed her nerves after especially difficult days with her brother at the hospital.

"Actually, what I really want is you."

Mohinder's lips turned up automatically at her declaration and he crossed the kitchen until he was close enough to touch her. "I was hoping you'd say that."

"So, drinks later then?" Madeline let the refrigerator door shut and looped her arms his neck.

"Way, way, later…" Mohinder agreed as his lips eagerly attached to hers.


	48. Secrets & Strategies

PETER & CLAIRE

CENTRAL PARK ZOO, NEW YORK

"But seriously, don't you think it's weird?"

"I don't know Claire, I guess."

"You guess? Come on, this random kid that I _just happened_ to bump into at school, _just happens_ to show up in the hospital on one of the only days that I _just happen_ to walk Jaden in to work, and he _just happens _to have an ability! That's totally weird." Claire argued.

"So what? You think there's something more than just coincidence at work here?"

"I don't know," Claire sighed. She realized that she had jumped to conclusions pretty quickly, when her run-in with Sam probably was nothing more than a strange coincidence. "Maybe it was fate." Claire had already jumped to her next theory.

"Since when do you believe in fate?"

"Ever since I met you."

Peter couldn't stop himself from smiling. The way she was looking at him in that moment made his heart thump unusually fast. Of course in the next moment he remembered that his dreams could never blend with his reality, and his smile faded.

"Oooh! Look!" Claire's normal voice had escalated into an unnatural squeak, forcing Peter to pay attention to where she was pointing.

"You're pointing at the penguins, aren't you?" Peter rolled his eyes.

"They're so cute!" She grabbed his hand and started pulling him through the Sunday afternoon throng toward the frozen habitat.

"Yea…adorable…" he agreed, not because he truly cared about the 'cute' penguins, but because he loved how she cared about them. Her entire face seemed brighter as she watched the water birds waddle around on the ice and flop into the water.

She leaned forward over the railing that separated them from the habitat, trying to get a closer look at them. "Did you know that some penguins mate for life?"

He smiled at the back of her head. "Lucky them." He didn't know what encouraged him to pry into her mind at that moment, but he felt that he needed to. Something inspired him to do it—he had to know what she was thinking.

_I wish people life was that simple. _She was thinking. He knew that if she was aware of what he was doing, she'd be angry, but at that moment he didn't care. He just wanted to be closer to her anyway he could, and if reading her thoughts was the only way he could that right now, then so be it. So he continued to invade her privacy. _I suppose if I really wanted to, I could find someone to make me happy, or content at least. Nobody's really going to make me happy, not like he would…_Peter pulled out briefly. He couldn't imagine who she was thinking about. _But that's never going to happen. _

"Ready to move on to the Polar Bears?" Claire had turned around suddenly and Peter was forced to remove himself from her mind.

"Ready when you are," he smiled. She grasped his hand again and started pulling him to the next location. "So, do you have any big plans for tomorrow?"

Peter frowned. "What's tomorrow?"

Claire stopped and stared at him curiously. "Valentine's Day, of course."

"That's tomorrow?" Peter couldn't believe he had actually forgotten what day it was. It didn't really matter to him much anymore. All that mattered was working on his abilities and keeping Claire safe. "So, I guess you have big plans with Jaden."

"Yea, he's got something planned. It's a surprise though, so he won't tell me anything."

"I thought you didn't like surprises."

"I don't." Claire's lip twitched. "Jaden clearly doesn't know me as well as you do."

"Clearly," Peter answered. Her response made him indescribably happy. "Well, I'm sure you two will have a good time…" he hated saying it, but it felt like the right thing.

"Yea…" she didn't sound completely convinced. "You don't have any plans then?"

Peter shook his head. "Have you seen me go on any dates lately?"

"No. And I've been wanting to ask you about that…"

"Not again, Claire." Peter pulled away from her and continued on towards the Polar Bear habitat that Claire had started taking them to.

"Peter, I'm serious!" Claire chased after him. "I know we've talked about it before, and you weren't really all that happy about it then either, but I'm worried for you. You're twenty-five years old. You need a girlfriend, or at least a date every once in a while. It would help you to not take life so seriously, I think."

"Why would I want that? Life is serious. We can't ignore that."

"I'm not saying you should ignore it, but I think it could be good for you to put it on hold for a while." Claire almost bumped into him when he stopped unexpectedly and turned to face her.

"Claire, I really do appreciate your concern, I do…" he brushed a loose curl out of her face and smiled at her sweetly. "I don't need a girlfriend to distract me though. I have you."

Claire blushed, and he hoped he hadn't said too much.

"I mean, you know, when I need a distraction or fun, then you're around. Like today, this…"

"You really think hanging out with me for the day at Central Park is the same as going on a date with an actual potential girlfriend?" Claire laughed.

Peter wished he could tell her the truth. He wanted to tell her that she was the only person he could ever be interested in going on a date with, but he never could officially because it was wrong. "Believe it or not Claire, but I enjoy spending time with you."

"I know you do," she told him. "Because I enjoy being with you too. But still…"

"Claire, can we please not argue about this," he begged. "I've barely seen you for more than a couple hours this week—you've been so busy with cheerleading and homework and Jaden. I don't want to spend the only afternoon we have together arguing about something so useless."

"Fine," Claire relented. "I won't bring it up again."

"Thank you," Peter gave her a hug. His arms tightened automatically; he never wanted to let go.

"You're welcome," she laughed.

Peter released her when he realized that it was a little unusual for him to be hugging her so suddenly and for so long. "So…do Polar Bears mate for life too?"

Claire grinned. "I don't know."

They reached the bears, which were separated from the people by glass walls and a chain-link roof. Peter once again admired Claire's silly childishness as she pressed her nose up against the glass; her eyes focused on the Polar Bears playing together on the other side of the divider.

"What do you want to do for dinner?"

"Whatever you want." Peter felt himself falling into a daze as he watched her. She was still staring at the bears, so he felt safe in letting his eyes roam her profile. He analyzed her with unending admiration. He loved every detail—the slight dip in her nose, the tiny mole on her cheek, the way her beautiful blonde hair curled around her ear.

"Peter?"

"Sorry, what?" He realized she was talking to him.

She smiled slightly. "I was asking you how Thai sounded for dinner."

"Yea, that would be good," Peter agreed. His cell phone vibrated in his pocket and he slipped it out to check the ID. "Damn, Claire, I'm going to have to rain check on Thai food."

"What? Seriously? Today was supposed to be about us!" Claire pouted and stood on her tiptoes, trying to read the caller ID on his phone, but he quickly shoved it back into his pocket, out of her sight. "Who was calling? Where are you going? Do you have a date and you just didn't tell me for some reason?"

"One question at a time, please!" Peter tried to reassure her with one of his lopsided smiles, that he knew always won her over.

"You can't smile your way out of this one," Claire told him.

He laughed. "You know, sometimes I wonder which one of us has the ability to read minds."

"Don't change the subject. Where do you have to go?"

"That's my business Claire." He didn't mean to snap at her, but he didn't know how to lie to her.

She frowned. "This isn't the first time you've run off without giving me an explanation."

"I know."

"It's the same thin, isn't it? Whatever it is you have to do…it's the same as the other times you've been gone for hours and not told me why."

"Yes," he answered.

"And you're still not going to tell me?"

"No."

"Fine."

"Claire…" Peter winced at the tone of her voice. "I'm sorry, but it's just that right now I can't explain myself…"

"Whatever. It really doesn't matter." She was smiling again, but he knew her well enough to know that she didn't mean it. "We all have secrets Peter."

"What?"

"Yea," she repeated. "It's not like I tell you everything."

"Right…" Peter nodded. "Of course you don't. Why would you?"

She looked away instead of answering, and he once again jumped into her mind.

_Because I love you. _

Peter stared at her. He couldn't respond, because he shouldn't have heard it. And then he had to tell himself that it probably didn't mean anything—not like he wanted it to. They were family, so it was natural for her to love him, as her uncle and nothing else. But something about the tone of her thought though made him wonder if that was how she meant it after all.

"You should get going, I guess," she spoke up.

"I'm sorry."

"Yea, you said that already," she reminded him. "It's fine. I'll get takeout and get a jump start on studying for the quiz I have in history on Wednesday."

"I'll see you later tonight."

"Okay."

"Do you want me to get you a cab?"

"No, it's okay. I'm going to walk. This weather is too perfect to miss out on." She started walking away from him.

"Be safe!" He called after her. She turned her head briefly to look over her shoulder and wave. He felt a brief ache in his heart as he watched her leave. All he wanted was to be close to her, but there were more important things for him to attend to at that moment.

THE COMPANY

LONDON

"This isn't working," Angela exclaimed angrily.

"You know some people consider patience to be a virtue." Mr. Oakland replied calmly. "The boy is young and perhaps a little daft at times, but I believe he is more than capable to fulfill his assignment."

"The boy is an idiot. He's had nearly six months to complete this mission. How difficult could it be?"

"Clearly your granddaughter is more attached to her uncle than you originally though," Mr. Oakland told her.

"Clearly," Angela raised her eyebrows at him. She didn't appreciate him commenting on her family. "Still, Peter is only her uncle. If Jaden was truly doing his duty to the best of his ability, he should have been able to sway her attention to himself."

"I'll talk to him."

"No, it won't do any good." Angela decided quickly, obviously rethinking her earlier statement. "If I know Claire at all, she won't abandon the people that she cares about just because there is someone new in her life. She's dedicated to helping Peter, and not even the best boyfriend in the world could pull her away from that purpose."

"Then what do you propose we do to speed things up?"

"I think it might prove worthwhile if we were to get inside Peter's mind," Angela explained.

"You want to try and force him to distance himself from Claire through his nightmares?"

"Perhaps," Angela continued formulating her idea. "Though I doubt he will do so very willingly. I know how much my son cares for her. It's a little unhealthy, actually."

"Are you suggesting that Peter's feelings for his niece are more romantic than they ought to be?"

Angela shrugged. "Perhaps. It's not as though I have any real proof. I just know enough to know how highly he values the relationship he has with her. Even if it weren't necessary for our purpose, I would still prefer my son to be less attached to his niece. Family is a sweet sentiment, but there are limits."

"Let's return to your previous thought of implanting ideas in your son's head," Mr. Oakland suggested. "What do you plan on putting into his mind in order to draw him away from the girl?"

Her face was serious as she answered. "I think if he is pushed even closer to her, he may naturally have to pull away." She sighed. "Now all we have to do is convince _him_ to create the right nightmares for Peter. It won't be easy. He's been resisting getting in to Peter's head. It's very irritating."

"Don't worry. You know there's ways around that."

SYLAR & EMILY

NEW YORK

"You know I've been thinking about something," Sylar set the grocery bags down on the counter. "What am I supposed to call you?"

"What do you mean?" Emily reached into one of the grocery bags and pulled out a carton of chocolate chip ice cream, promptly placing it in the freezer.

"Well, I've calling you Emily for so long, but am I supposed to call you Andrea now that I know better?"

She shook her head. "I haven't been Andrea for a very long time, and I'd sort of like to keep it that way."

"Okay," he nodded. "Emily it is then."

"Gabriel, how are we supposed to live here?"

"What?" He paused with his arm raised, just as he prepared to stack cans of soup in one of the cupboards.

"How are we supposed to live without getting a job? What kind of life can we have without identities?"

"We have identities…" Sylar was a little confused about Emily's sudden outburst.

"I can't use my identity. Neither of us can. The company is undoubtedly already scouring the country to find us. If they hear either of our names are being used in New York, they'll be here in an instant," Emily explained. "I changed my name ten years ago and it hid me well enough, but clearly not perfectly, because they finally managed to track me down."

"I can protect you."

"You've said that before," Emily smiled. "But I'd rather not have to fight them if we can stop it."

"So, we could change our names," Sylar suggested. "Like you did. We can hide ourselves with new identities."

"It wouldn't work forever," Emily insisted. "They'll be more thorough this time. I'm actually surprised it took them as long as it did to track me as Emily Banks. This time they'll have even better luck because they can look for the both of us together."

"Maybe they'll just give us up."

"Do you truly believe that?"

"No, but it sounded like a nice idea in my head." Sylar finished unloading the groceries and folded the paper bags before shoving them in an empty drawer for storage. "Emily, I wish I could follow your train of thought here, but what exactly are you trying to say?"

Her green eyes narrowed at him. "I'm just trying to express my confusion and frustration."

"Okay…" He hesitated. "I still don't know what it is that you want me to do…"

"I'm worried," she confessed.

"Worried about what?"

She turned her back to him and busied herself with folding the rest of the grocery bags.

"Emily, come on." He touched her arm cautiously. Ever since he had told her the truth about himself, he had been careful to keep his distance, since she still had her doubts about him; he didn't want to upset her. "Please tell me what's really bothering you?"

She finally turned back to face him—there were tears in her eyes. "I'm worried about my daughter. If they were so desperate to track me down after all those years, I can only imagine the effort they're putting in to finding her."

"I didn't know they wanted her."

"She's the whole reason I left. I knew that they would only experiment on her like they did with me. She's the product of two people with special abilities."

"I still have some questions about that whole experimenting thing…" Her frown quieted him. "Which we can talk about later…if you want to."

"After all I've done for her, I can't let them find her." Her tears had left mascara streaks down her cheeks. He thought it was adorable.

Sylar took a chance and reached out to wipe away a tear that was rolling down her cheek; he was delighted when she didn't pull away from him. "Then we'll just have to make sure they don't."

"How are we supposed to do that?" Emily asked him.

"We'll find her first."

MATT & JANICE

NEW YORK

"I have an interview this afternoon."

Matt stopped abruptly with one leg in and one out of his pants. He looked at his wife, who was brushing out her hair in front of the mirror. "An interview?"

She glanced at him through the mirror's reflection. "Yep."

"What sort of an interview?"

"What sort do you think?" Janice kept her focus on the mirror. "I have a job interview with a law firm."

"Janice, you're having a baby in just a couple months. Why are you even looking into a career right now?"

"Getting pregnant wasn't exactly part of my life plan. I enjoy working, Matt. I need a job. After I have the baby, I'll start interviewing nannies."

"Nannies?" Matt shook his head. "I don't want our child to be raised by someone else."

"Then why don't you quit your job?"

"Janice, please," Matt shook his head and finished getting dressed before speaking again. "A mother is supposed to take care of her child."

"This isn't the fifties, Matt. A husband can stay home just as well as a wife can." Janice finished brushing out her hair and then twisted it up into a bun and secured it with pins. "I would go crazy sitting home all day. I need to work."

"Well, so do I!" Matt protested. "I love my job Janice."

"No you don't," she argued. "You hate the fact that you are still just a cop. Being in a different city isn't going to change that."

"I'm planning on taking the detective exam here though."

"Again? Do you think it will make a difference?"

"God Janice, why do you have to be that way?"

"What way?"

"You're my wife," he pointed out. "You're supposed to support me and encourage me. I have a hard enough time believing in my self, it would be nice if I at least had you to count on."

Janice turned away from the mirror suddenly. Matt noticed that her eyes were watering a little, though he couldn't understand why she would be crying. "I'm sorry Matt." In an instant she had crossed the room and thrown herself into his arms.

"What?" He held his arms around her, awkwardly making space for her protruding stomach. "Talk to me Janice. Tell me what's going on."

"I don't know…" she kept her arms around his neck and started to cry into his shoulder. "I feel like we're falling apart."

"We?" Matt gently directed her over to the bed and encouraged her to sit down—he sat beside her.

"Us," she clarified. "Our marriage." She continued to cry, and it was becoming difficult for Matt to make out all her words. "We used to be so happy…"

"And what are we now?"

She shook her head. "I don't know, but I don't feel very happy. Do you?"

"No," he sighed. "I don't."

"I want to be happy again."

"Is it the baby? Do you not want it?"

She looked at him suddenly. "I do want it. I hate that my emotions have gotten so crazy, but I don't want you to think I don't want the baby. When I found out I was pregnant, it was the happiest day of my life."

"Mine too," Matt agreed. He kissed the top of her head and tried not to let himself think about the mixed emotions that he had gotten when he first learned they were going to have a baby. His first thought had been delight, but it had been hampered by the fact that Janice had been unfaithful to their marriage. That truth had damaged the pure delight that he should have been able to experience.

"I feel like life has just been changing too fast for me to catch up."

"I know the feeling," he agreed. "I can't help but feel responsible for a lot of the changes in our lives."

She shrugged. "Maybe you are, but that doesn't make a difference."

"So how do I fix this?"

"It's not about you fixing things, Matt. You are always so eager to fix everything, but sometimes you have to accept that you just can't. Not immediately, anyway."

"Then what can I work on?"

"It's not you alone," she told him. "We have to both work on it."

"Our marriage, you mean?"

"I just want us to be happy again, like we used to, before things got…"

"Complicated," he finished for her. He knew they were both thinking of the affair she had with his old partner. "I want that too."

They were both silent for a minute.

"So where does that leave us?" Matt asked at last.

"Exactly where we were," she answered. "Working to make things better, and still in love…hopefully."

"You know I love you Janice."

She tipped her head up to him and he kissed her softly. "I'm going to cancel my interview."

"You don't have to," he insisted. "If you want to work, we can figure out a way…"

She shook her head. "No. I wanted this job because I was feeling bored or neglected or something, but that's just something I have to deal with. It's time for me to be a mother, and I really do want to be. Your job is enough to take care of us, especially once you make detective, which you will."

"Thanks," he kissed her again. "So, there is something you mentioned that I think I can work on fixing."

"Oh? What's that?"

"Not letting you feel neglected."

"It's not your fault, Matt. You have a job and other responsibilities."

"Responsibilities?"

"I know how important Molly is to you," Janice told him. "It was wrong of me to ask you not to see her."

"She shouldn't have taken priority over you though," Matt decided. "Nothing should. Molly isn't my daughter, and not matter how much I care about her, my child comes first."

"I appreciate you saying that, but she needs you too. I understand that, even if I didn't want to admit it before. I want you to spend time with her."

"Really?"

"Yes," she nodded. "As much time as you want."

"Can she come here some time? I think you'd really like her once you got to know her."

Janice smiled. "Sure. I would love to meet her."

"Good, I'll set it up," he kissed her once more. "I love you."

"I love you too."


	49. Where He Goes When He Disappears

_A/N: I've edited this to refine the way I defined Peter's powers. I'm sorry if you've already read it and feel confused! I just needed to fix something—thanks to __**Skyhighfan**__ for correcting me. _

PETER

ODESSA, TEXAS

"You're late."

Peter took a second to steady himself after his teleportation trip. "Sorry…I got distracted and lost track of time."

"Distracted? By what? Nothing should be more important than what we're doing here…"

"I was distracted by your daughter, Noah." Peter turned to the man who was lecturing him. "She wouldn't let me go as easily as I had hoped. It's getting harder to lie to her about what it is that I do when I disappear for hours."

He smiled. "Yes, she can be difficult like that, but she means well."

"I know she does, which is why I hate lying to her."

"It's better for her if she doesn't know right now," Noah reminded him. "She'd just want to come with and then she'd be in the way. I miss her a lot, but she's trying to have her own life right now, and it will be easier for her if she doesn't have a constant reminder of me."

"I know," Peter assured him. "Don't worry. I won't tell her until it's time."

"Good, then shall we get started?"

Peter nodded. "What are we working on today?"

"That depends, how long do you have today?"

"A few hours at least. I told Claire that I'd be home late."

"Good," Noah smiled. "Then today I thought we'd spend a little more time on your telekinesis. Last time we met I told you to practice controlling objects already in motion, rather than creating the motion. Have you tried that?"

"Yea, I have a little. It's funny, Claire wanted me to work on that too."

"Really?" Noah smiled, and Peter thought he looked a little proud of his adopted daughter. "And how's it been going for you?"

"Pretty good actually. I managed to stop a book that she threw at me."

"She threw a book at you?"

He laughed. "Not like that. She was doing it for me to practice."

"I see," Noah nodded. "Was that the only time you successfully stopped an object in motion?"

Peter nodded.

"Then I suppose we have a lot of work to do," Noah told him. "After you've improved that power, then I'd like to test some abilities that you may not know you have."

"Is that possible? I mean, could I really have some that I don't know about?"

"Certainly," Noah assured him. "There could be dozens of special people that you have had contact with, who you didn't realize were special, and so you haven't realized that you took on their abilities. For instance, have you ever tried walking through walls like Niki's husband can do?"

"Nope," Peter shook his head. "I didn't even think about that. I've never actually seen him do it before…I didn't know it could work if he didn't use it around me."

"Absolutely," Noah told him. "I'm excited to see what other abilities you have."

Peter grinned. "Cool."

_A/N: Okay, yea, so this is short, but I sort of just wanted to put it up separately because the next update will be themed. And it will be coming very soon, probably tomorrow. Thank you so much for all the wonderful reviews. I've been updating a lot lately, which I like, because I like to keep the story going, but I hope you don't get too used to it—I'll be heading back to school eventually. _

_Anyway, I'm going to be bringing a few new characters into this story in the next update. I know I've already created a lot of OCs, but don't worry these won't be very prominent. I just have a purpose for a few new characters. Also, a couple of them will have abilities, but I'm having trouble coming up with some powers. So, if anyone has any suggestions, it would be most appreciated! _

_Thanks so much for all the help/reviews I've gotten so far, especially from my readers: __**Sailor Star7, TroypayisLove, Cookie-ER. **_


	50. Valentine's: Ain't Love Grand?

_A/N: This is a really long update to make up for the last really short one. In fact this might be the longest I've ever written. Oh and I've reached chapter 50, how cool is that? Hope you enjoy! _

NIKI, DL, MICAH, & MOLLY

NEW YORK

"Happy Valentine's day baby."

Niki opened her sleepy eyes and turned her head to give her husband a smile. "Good morning!"

"I wanted to let you sleep in, but it was just so hard to be awake and watch you sleeping…you just look so beautiful and all I wanted to do was kiss you." D.L. adjusted his position so he could cradle his wife in his arms. "So, what's the chance that I'll actually be able to take my wife out tonight for a quiet, romantic date? Just the two of us."

"What would we do with the kids?" Niki asked.

"Yea…that's what I was afraid you'd say…" he sighed and wrapped his arms around her more tightly. "We could hire a babysitter…"

"A babysitter?" Niki frowned. She'd never trusted anyone with Micah except for her best friend back in Nevada, but even then she rarely liked to leave him alone. She was a little overprotective of him, but she had her reasons, of course.

"Come on baby," D.L. begged. "We can call Claire! She could totally take care of them, and they love her!"

"If it were any other night, I'm sure she would love to, but Claire's got a boyfriend, so she's most likely already got plans for tonight."

"Then what about Peter? He's not dating anyone right?"

Niki considered the possibility of having a night alone with her husband, and she smiled. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to ask him."

"Great!" D.L. slid off the bed, letting Niki fall back on the pillows. "I'm going to make you breakfast."

"Ah, that's sweet," she smiled. "Make breakfast for the kids too, okay?"

He grinned. "That's romantic." He winked as he left the bedroom.

As she stretched out in the bed, she reflected on how easily they had accepted Molly as a part of their family. She was an absolute angel, nice to everyone, perfectly obedient, and always as helpful as possible. In many ways Niki felt that Molly had filled the position of the daughter that she'd always wanted.

"Niki…" Molly tapped her knuckles against the partially open door.

"Come in sweetie," Niki called out and Molly entered, still wearing her pajamas.

"I didn't wake you up did I?"

"No, not at all," Niki sat up and patted the bed beside herself. Molly frolicked across the room and bounded on to the bed to join Niki. "What's on your mind?"

"Well…it's sort of about this whole Valentine's day thing."

"Okay…"

Molly looked hesitant; her cheeks had a slight blush to them.

"Sweetie, you can talk to me about anything, you know that," Niki comforted her.

"There's this boy…" she started at last.

Niki smiled. "Really? A boy?"

"Yea, his name's Gavin and he's in my class at school, and on Friday he gave me a note."

"What did the note say?"

Molly blushed even more. "The note said that he liked me and he wanted me to be his valentine."

Niki struggled not to laugh at how adorable Molly's innocent situation was. She knew that laughter would only make Molly more nervous to talk about it. "And what did you say back to him?"

"I told him that I would," Molly answered. "It seemed like the nice thing to do, but I don't really know what it means to be someone's valentine."

"Well, Valentine's Day is a time for people who love each other to celebrate their love," Niki tried to explain it on the girl's level. "Usually grown-ups will go out on dates on Valentine's Day, and sometimes they give each other presents to express how they feel for each other."

"So, does that mean that I'm supposed to go on a date with Gavin?"

"Oh sweetie I don't think so. Did he say something about a date?"

"No," Molly shook her head. "After the note he just smiled at me and then he had to go because his mom was there to pick him up."

"Then I don't think you really need to worry about it."

Molly looked thoughtful. "But what does it mean?"

"I think it just means that he likes you," Niki told her. "Do you like him?"

"I don't know," Molly shrugged. "I guess. He's nice. He let me share his book when I forgot mine last week in History."

"That was very nice of him," Niki agreed. "But do you like him as anything more than a friend?"

Molly shrugged again. "I don't know."

Niki reached out and wrapped her arms around Molly, pulling her close. "That's okay, sweetie. I don't think you necessarily need to make up your mind about that right now. Just remember that you're young, and there's no rush for things like this. You should just focus on being friends with boys right now, okay?"

Molly rested her head against Niki's shoulder. "Okay."

Niki held her for a moment before speaking again. "Is there anything else you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Not really," Molly answered. "But, umm, could you maybe not say anything about this to Micah? He'd probably just tease me about it."

Niki smiled and kissed the top of Molly's head. "I promise. I won't say anything to him."

"Thanks."

The girls were interrupted as Micah popped his head into the room. "Dad says breakfast is ready."

NATHAN & HEIDI

NEW YORK

"I want tonight to be perfect," Nathan insisted.

Heidi smiled at his consideration, but she only nodded in response.

"It's just been so long since you and I have really had a night alone together with nothing going on to distract us from, well _us_!"

"I know," Heidi agreed.

Nathan took her hand and kissed it sweetly. "I just love you so much and I miss what we used to have together, before everything…"

"Are you talking about your campaign or the accident or your daughter?"

Nathan didn't know how to interpret her tone. He smiled, despite the fact that he assumed she wasn't entirely happy. "I mean _everything_. We used to be so happy together, nothing ever got in the way of our relationship and our family…" he specifically was thinking of all the drama that his mother had engendered. "I want to be that way again."

"Me too," she agreed. "But it's going to take time. There have been a lot of changes that we all have to adjust to."

"I know," he sighed. "We'll get there though. I have every confidence in us."

She just smiled again.

"Everything's all set with the babysitter for tonight, right?"

Heidi nodded.

"Good, then I've got just a couple phone calls to make before we can start our perfect Valentine's, just the two of us, with no worries." He stood from the couch, kissed her forehead, and headed to his office to finish up his work.

Heidi waited for him to disappear from sight before she let her smile subside. Nathan had been working so hard to make her happy, ever since she had learned the truth of his abilities and about Claire. He had been wonderful, but sometimes she felt that he treated her a little too perfectly, as though her were trying a little too hard to set things right. She wanted things to be happy between them again, but not at the expense of the natural bond that had started their relationship so many years ago. She would always love her husband, but she wondered if she would ever be able to fully trust him again. She had a lot doubts, but the most pressing was the hardest one for her to ignore. Strangely, it was the only suspicion that had started before she had even learned about Claire, or their special abilities.

It started that morning that they had had brunch with Oliver Dennison. He had mentioned a "blonde woman" and he had created doubt for Heidi. At the time, of course, Nathan had covered it up with a story involving Peter, and it had sufficed for the time. Things had changed though. Circumstances were different and Heidi had new doubts. All she wanted was to be able to trust her husband, but she needed to have proof—she was a Petrelli after all.

"Honey, does Italian work for you tonight?" Nathan called to her from his office.

"Sure, that's fine." She called back. "I'm going upstairs for a minute to check on the boys," she told him, but he didn't respond, clearly already diving back into his work.

Heidi climbed the steps, still marveling at being able to use her legs again—that miracle would never get old. She didn't check on the boys though, she headed straight for her bedroom, where she knew she could have privacy. Nathan would be in his office for a while, if she knew him at all. She shut the door, turned the lock, and used her cell phone to call her brother-in-law.

"_Hello?" _

"Hi Peter, it's Heidi."

"_Hey, how're you?" _

"Fine…" she paced across the bedroom, letting her bare feet sink into the deep carpet. "Look, I only have a couple minutes to talk, but there's something really important that I have to ask you, and I need you to promise that you'll be honest."

Peter didn't answer.

"Peter, please."

"_Okay, ask away." _

"A couple months ago, we had that family brunch thing to impress the interviewer, remember?"

"_Yea, I remember." _

"He asked Nathan about a trip to Vegas where Nathan met with a blonde woman. You then explained that she was a doctor that Nathan was researching for your depressive disorder, but now that I know the truth about you, it doesn't make since to me," she told him. "You never suffered from depression, and you never tried to kill yourself. You were dealing with your special ability, not a disorder. So my question is who was that woman if she wasn't a doctor for you?"

Peter was quiet.

"Peter, you promised me the truth."

"_I don't know what to say, Heidi. I know how much Nathan loves you. Nothing is more important to him than his family, which I know because he almost died to save me." _

"That's not an answer," Heidi sighed.

"_It's the only answer I can give you," _he explained. _"I'm sorry Heidi, but the truth is, I don't know who that woman was. Nathan wasn't researching a doctor for me, just like you assumed, but…" _

"But what?" Heidi felt tears burning in her eyes as Peter confirmed her doubts.

"_You should talk to him about it Heidi. I know that he loves you and he would never want to hurt you…" _

"Than why would he meet with a strange woman and lie to me about it?"

"_He must have his reasons." _

She sniffed as the tears started to spill over.

"_I wish you wouldn't have called me Heidi. I don't want to be in the middle of this. I love you and Nathan, and I want you to be happy." _

"That's the problem," Heidi sighed. "Everyone is so desperate for us to be happy again that they won't just be honest!"

"_I'm sorry." _

"It's not your fault Peter," she assured him. "You're a good guy. I'm sorry I had to involve you, but I needed the truth and I knew I wouldn't get it from Nathan."

"_You should still talk to him." _

"Don't worry, I will."

"_Have a good Valentine's, Heidi." _

"You too. Do you have any plans? I talked to Claire yesterday, but she said you were gone all day and didn't know what you would be up to today."

"_Yea, I was busy yesterday. I don't have any plans for today though." _Peter sighed and she knew he was depressed by the fact that he wasn't dating right now. _"Claire's going out, so I'll just be home alone." _

"She should go out," Heidi told him. "She deserves to be happy too."

"_I know. That's the problem." He sighed again. "I'll talk to you later Heidi." _

She said goodbye and hung up, dropping her cell phone on the bed. She had gotten the answer she had been looking for—the answer to solidify her doubts. Now the problem was, she didn't know what to do with the truth. How was she supposed to go out with her husband tonight and pretend to enjoy the holiday of romance when she was wondering if he had cheated on her?

HIRO & CLAUDE & FRIENDS

NEW YORK

"Meet the gang," Claude waved his hand around the room that he had instructed Hiro to teleport them to. It was the main room of a two-bedroom apartment tucked away above a vacant store space in Greenwich Village. Very limited decoration or furniture accented the room—clearly only what was necessary for survival.

A few people were scattered around the room—some sitting, some standing—and everyone staring at the spot where Hiro and Claude had materialized. Hiro held up his hand with his fingers separated, copying the well-known sign from _Star Treck_.

"This is Hiro," Claude introduced him to the group. "He's the one I was telling you about that can move through time and space."

"Awesome."

Hiro looked at the person who spoke. It was a young guy, probably close to Hiro's own age, but very different in style. His blonde hair was long and shaggy; it looked like it had been a while since he'd washed it. He wore baggy jeans that hung low on his waist and a tie-died T-shirt.

"Do you all have abilities?" Hiro asked bluntly.

Claude answered for the group. "Not all of us. We're a mixed group, but we're all on the same side, mate."

"I'm not on any side yet," Hiro told him. "I am here to learn more."

"Good enough for me," Claude grinned and started pointing to each person in the room individually. He started with the hippie. "That's Troy."

Troy turned both his thumbs up and grinned broadly at Hiro. "Yo."

Hiro nodded while mentally trying to memorize the name. "And can you do something special?"

A young woman, who was perched on the windowsill, snickered. "Fish boy?"

"Fish boy?" Hiro repeated.

Troy smirked. "I can breathe under water, like a fish. Sure did mess with my swim coach's head in high school."

"Fish boy," Hiro repeated, now understanding what the nickname meant. He looked at the girl who had mentioned the nickname. "And you?"

The girl ran her hand through her shoulder-length light-brown hair as she stood up. "My name's Sarah," she told him. "And you can stop pretending that you don't trust us because I know you do. I can tell. You've never felt more relieved in your life than you do right now. Meeting us has made your day."

Hiro frowned. "Why do you say that?"

She laughed, flashing very white teeth and a brief glimpse of a tongue piercing. "I can tell."

"It's her gift," Claude explained.

"I don't understand."

"It's complicated, she's an empath, but not in the way that Peter is. She's empathic with people's feelings."

"Okay…" Hiro decided to let it go. He realized that there would probably be a lot of stuff that he wouldn't understand right away; he would just have to accept it.

"Let's get through the rest quickly, shall we?" Claude picked it up again. "Over there…" he pointed to a guy sitting on one of the two couches in the room who was calmly flipping a short knife. "That's Ray. He's a normal bloke, but I wouldn't want to cross him in a fight. He's got talent with a knife." Next, Claude pointed out another young man with curly red hair standing against the wall, observing the group with a cheery grin and dimples in his freckled cheeks. "Jake, how 'bout giving us a show?"

The redhead nodded and jumped away from the wall, still smiling happily. Hiro watched him curiously for a moment and then before he realized what had happened there were two redheads standing side-by-side.

"What happened?" Hiro questioned.

"I can clone myself," Jake explained with a chipper tone to his voice. "Cool, huh?" His clone spoke now, or maybe it was the original—Hiro couldn't tell the difference. Jake snapped his fingers and the clone disappeared, leaving just one redhead in the room.

"Denny's not here right now," Claude stated suddenly. "He's on assignment."

"What sort of assignment?" Hiro asked.

"Hopefully he'll be bringing back another recruit."

Hiro turned at the sound of a new voice coming from one of the bedrooms. A girl emerged, or rather a woman—a beautiful woman. Hiro had met many women he would consider beautiful, but there was something about this one that just seemed naturally gorgeous. She smiled at him, without showing her teeth, and sauntered into the room to join the others. He felt mesmerized by every detail of her—the sway of her slender hips, the swishing of her pink dress around her knees, the bounce of her silky auburn curls.

"That's quite enough, Roslyn," Claude spoke up suddenly, and Hiro's strange fixation seemed to vanish instantly. "You'd be smart to keep your wits 'bout you 'round her, mate. When she wants to she can emit a dangerous amount of pheromones."

"She emits pheromones?" Hiro echoed in confusion.

Roslyn sat on the second couch and crossed one leg over the other. "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable," she said to Hiro. "For some reason I enjoy teasing the newbies." She spread out the skirt of her dress, smoothing out all the wrinkles. "You aren't really attracted to me."

Hiro was a little shocked and confused by her declaration. "I'm not? I mean I know I'm not…"

There was a slight eruption of laughter from the others in the room, but Roslyn spoke over them. "It's my ability. I can make people fall in love with me, just by the amount of pheromones I choose to share with them."

"She's like our very own Poison Ivy," Sarah spoke up.

"Sure," Roslyn rolled her eyes. "But don't think of me as Mother Nature; I don't really give a damn about plant life. Plus, I'm real."

"Okay," Hiro nodded.

"Nice of you to join us Roslyn," Ray winked at her.

"Sorry I'm late. I was on the phone, canceling my date for tonight…" she sighed.

"Roslyn, I told you that dates are not a priority," Claude said.

"It's Valentine's!" She reminded him.

"What we are doing is more important than Valentine's or any other personal things," Claude shook his head. "When the war is over you can have a personal life."

"War?" Hiro piped up.

"Don't worry," Jake told him. "The boss tends to be a bit overdramatic."

Claude ignored the redhead and turned back to Hiro. "And that about sums us up," Claude told him. "For now anyway."

"I'm still a little confused," Hiro said. "What do you want me for? And what are you all doing together?"

"I told you we are trying to recruit others to our purpose, and you are one such recruit. If you choose to join us that is."

Hiro shrugged. "What is the purpose that you need me for?"

"We're going to take down the Company, once and for all."

SASHA

HOTEL, DOWNTOWN SEATTLE

"_How much time do you have?" _

"Well, since I've been so busy writing reports on everything we've been doing, I only have a couple hours left now," Sasha answered. "The doctor's undoubtedly using his free time to screw his girl, and I just woke up, feeling all lonely here in my hotel room, all by myself, thinking how unfair it is that he should be having all the fun." She sighed. "Don't I deserve a little bit of fun?"

"_Actually, I think you deserve a lot of fun," _Jaden told her. _"Plus it's Valentine's and I think it's been way too long since I've seen my girlfriend." _

"Speaking of your girlfriend…" Sasha cut him off. "Don't you have plans with Claire tonight?"

"_Of course I do, but not until way later," _he reminded her. _"I have at least a couple hours free." _

"Hmm…then how fast do you think you could get your ass over her?" She waited for an answer, but he was silent. "Jaden? Babe?" she had just realized that the other line was dead when there was a knock on the door of her hotel room. "Umm, just a minute." She climbed out of bed and wrapped a robe around herself before answering the knock.

"You said something about wanting some fun…"

"Jaden!" Sasha squealed at the sight of her boyfriend. His shaggy hair was tousled from the wind that had attacked him during his speedy run across the country. "You're amazing."

"I know," he grinned as he gave her a kiss and entered the room, kicking the door shut. "I couldn't bear another second apart from you."

She laughed. "You're just horny and want to use me for sex."

He pretended to be shocked. "That is so not true. You know that my feelings for you are way deeper than physical."

"Yea, and I also know that you're not getting any from that prissy cheerleader."

"Are you sure about that?"

Sasha glared at him. "Yea, I bet you'd totally do her if she'd let you. Unfortunately for you, she's not a whore."

"Says you," Jaden retorted.

Sasha took a deep breath and then gave him one of her most flattering smiles. "Do you want to waste time teasing me or would you rather be making love to me right now?"

Jaden laughed, lifted her into his arms, and dropped her onto the bed, quickly climbing on top of her.

"You know, once we've finished playing, we really should talk about our plans."

"Our plans?" Jaden was barely paying attention to what she was saying; he was only interested in removing her robe.

"You know what I'm talking about," she moved his hands away and untied the robe herself. "We haven't been working night and day with people we can't stand, just to be slaves to the company. I think it's almost time for us to carry out our own goal."

"Already?" Jaden stopped kissing her neck momentarily. "Are you sure we're ready for that? Have you learned enough from the doc yet? Do you think it will work?"

She placed her hand on his cheek. "Babe, don't you trust me?"

"You know I do, but that doesn't mean that I'm not afraid of what the company will do when they find out what we've really been up to."

"Then we'd better be extra careful and pray they don't find out," she smiled and slipped her hand down to his neck to pull him back in for another kiss. "Deal?"

"Deal," he agreed. "Can we get back to the fun stuff now?"

MOHINDER & MADELINE

MADELINE'S HOME, SEATTLE

"Do you have any idea how lame it is that you're leaving me on Valentine's Day?" Madeline pouted as she watched Mohinder slip out of bed and fish around on the floor for his pants, from where she lay on her side, still in bed.

"I didn't plan it this way, I assure you," he told her. "Though to be honest, I don't exactly see the appeal of this holiday. Every couple coming together on one day out of the year to celebrate their love seems a bit drastic to me."

"That's a romantic perspective," Madeline grinned. "Just so you know, I'm one of those sappy-hopeless-romantics, so don't go spoiling the day of love for me, thank you very much."

Mohinder abandoned the search for his pants and returned to the bed, slipping beneath the large collection of quilts that covered Madeline's queen-sized bed. "I wouldn't dare spoil it for you."

She rolled over onto her stomach and nuzzled her head against his shoulder. "Don't go."

"I have to sweetheart, you know that."

"I don't know it," she protested. "You shouldn't have to do anything that you don't want to do, and I'm pretty positive that you'd rather stay here with me." She kissed his shoulder. "Wouldn't you?"

"Now that's just not fair," he rolled onto his side, hiding his shoulder out of reach of her lips. "You are trying to seduce me out of my job."

"Is it working?" She asked with her thin lips turned up in a teasing smile.

"Maybe a little."

"I'll just have to try harder then," she decided. Madeline pushed herself up onto her knees and moved to straddle Mohinder.

"Maddie, come on, I have to meet Sasha at the airport in two hours."

"Just a tip," she said, letting her fingers trail down his chest. "Probably not the best idea to talk about meeting up with another girl when you're in bed with your girlfriend.

"Right," he smiled. "I'll have to remember that."

"There's nothing going on with her, is there?"

Mohinder frowned. "With who?"

"You know who."

"Sasha?"

"Yes Sasha."

"No, absolutely not!" Mohinder insisted firmly. "How could you even think that? Sasha and I work together. That's all. She's actually rather irritating to be around. I couldn't imagine having anything but a professional relationship with her, and the sooner we have finished our job, the better."

Madeline smiled and kissed him on the nose. "Good."

"Though speaking of my job…"

"Come on, you said two hours and it only takes like fifteen minutes to get to the airport, so that still gives us quite a while to enjoy ourselves…"

Mohinder grinned. "You've talked me into it." He adjusted his position so he was sitting up more and had better access to her lips for kissing. Unintentionally glancing toward the door, which made him stop mid-kiss. "Umm, Maddie…" he mumbled into her mouth.

"Yea?" She didn't pull her lips away from his.

"They're staring."

Madeline separated from him momentarily so she could look over shoulder and figure out what he was talking about. The _they_ he was referring to were the three animals gathered in the doorway—two cats and one dog.

"They're just being friendly," Madeline told him.

"They're being curious," Mohinder insisted. "I don't like being watched by them."

"Watched?" Madeline laughed. "They're not watching…"

"They are! They're staring," he insisted. "It's making me uncomfortable."

Madeline kissed him briefly and then turned to look at the animals that were still hovering in the doorway. She was silent for a few moments and then the three animals turned in unison and left the room.

"There, is that better?" She asked Mohinder as she returned her attention to him.

"How…" Mohinder frowned as he stared at the now empty doorway. "How did you make them go away?"

Madeline shrugged. "I didn't make them do anything. They just left."

"No…" Mohinder pushed himself up higher. "No, they didn't just leave. It was like they were told to leave. Animals don't just do things like that."

"Mohinder, you're being silly." Madeline kept her position on his lap and tried to push him back down. "They just left."

Admittedly, Mohinder hadn't been with her for a very long time, and there were undoubtedly still many things they had to learn about one another, but he was pretty confident that he knew her well enough to know when she wasn't being completely truthful.

"What aren't you telling me?"

She finally gave up trying to calm him and moved off of him. "I didn't want you to treat me differently."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Mohinder stared at her, trying to analyze her expression, but she wouldn't make eye contact with him.

"I didn't want you to think of me as one of your patients or a test subject to be observed and documented."

"Madeline what are you talking about?" He took both of her hands in his. "You know you can trust me."

She nodded and squeezed his hands tightly. "I'm surprised you didn't figure it out sooner actually. I thought you were supposed to be smart," she joked. "It should have been obvious, right? I mean, I don't know much about it, but it would make sense for it to run in families, right?"

Mohinder thought he knew what she was talking about now, but he wanted to wait for her to tell him.

"But then again I guess you and your sister were different…" she shook her head. "It doesn't matter. The point is I have an ability too."

"You do?" His assumption was correct. "What can you do?"

"I can communicate with animals," she told him.

"Really?" Mohinder knew he hadn't researched the extent of the abilities that people could have, but animal communication was something he had never even considered. It amazed him. "How does that work exactly?"

"I wish I knew," she told him. "I just realized one day that these strays kept coming around, and they were very receptive to my voice. It was like they knew what I was saying. So I started testing it. I would tell them to do things and they would."

"That's an amazing gift, Maddie."

"It is pretty cool, isn't it?" She smiled. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier. I never should have kept it from you."

"You had your reasons, though I do wish you could have trusted me enough to believe that I wouldn't have treated you any differently." He stroked her cheek and leaned in for a kiss. "I research people with abilities to help them, but if you want me to pretend that you don't have an ability, then I can do that for you."

She kissed him back. "I told you because I was ready for you to know."

"I appreciate the trust you have in me," he told her. "If you ever want to discuss your ability further, you know I would also be willing to listen, though I understand if you do not."

"Right, because you're really going to just let it go, just like that!" She laughed. "I know you, Dr. Suresh! You're curiosity about what I just told you is getting ready to explode."

"It is not," he protested.

Madeline locked her eyes with his. She laughed again and pressed her lips against his, and she ran her fingers through his messy curly hair. "What do you want to ask me?" She said at last. "I'll tell you anything you want to know."

His serious face melted and his head fell into her hand. "Really? You're the best, because I really was desperately curious, but I didn't want to pester you if you weren't ready to discuss…"

"I know," she kissed him again. "You can't fool me."

"So, how does it work exactly?" He started asking at once. "Because you mentioned that you talk to them, but then just now all you did was look at them and they obeyed…"

"At first I had to talk, out loud, but once I got used to it I realized that I could just communicate with them mentally." She explained the details to her eager listener. "It's like I can hear their thoughts and they can hear mine, or maybe it's not so explicit but we can sense what the other is thinking or feeling…it's hard to explain."

"I think I understand," Mohinder decided. "Maybe with a bit more testing we could figure out how it works exactly."

"Mohinder, we only have another hour together, if we're lucky. Why should we waste it by discussing my ability? I've been handling it fine on my own for the past year. If I have any problems with it in the future, I'll give you a call, okay?"

"You do make a very persuasive argument," he told her with a smile and gently pulled her back down beside him on the bed, eagerly ready to resume their fun.

PETER

NEW YORK

"_Do you remember the first time we met?" Peter asked softly. _

_She nodded slowly and readjusted her position so she was curled into his arm, resting against his body as they lay on the bed together. "How could I forget?" _

"_Even before I knew who you were, I knew that you were special," Peter told her as his fingers played with her hair. _

"_Special how?" She asked. _

"_Of you're special in lots of ways," Peter grinned. "You're sweet…" he entwined his fingers with hers and pulled her closer to himself. "You're talented…and you're beautiful…" he kissed the top of her head. _

"_Hmm…" she tipped her chin up so he could kiss her mouth. "You're special too." _

"_It took you long enough to realize that." _

_She poked a finger at his ribs. "Don't tease. I was only being careful. You know what my life has been like…I couldn't afford to get hurt again." _

"_I know sweetheart," he enclosed her in his arms and rested his cheek against her head. "And that's why I was patient. I was afraid that you would never come around though. I was so in love with you and I wasn't sure if you'd ever let yourself feel the same about me." _

"_Yea, I know…" she sighed. "I loved you from the beginning. I should have just told you so." _

"_I wish you would have," he agreed. "Imagine how happy we could have been from the beginning." _

"_Yea, well, we're just going to have to make up for lost time." She maneuvered herself out of his arms and climbed on top of him, straddling his stomach and bracing her hands against his chest. "Happy Valentine's Peter." She lowered her lips to his and kissed him deeply; their tongues melded together naturally. _

_Peter took his time with the kiss, not wanting to rush a single moment of their night together. When their lips finally separated, he smiled up at her, mesmerized by her green eyes. "Happy Valentine's Claire." _

"No!" Peter screamed as he woke from his dream. He sat up quickly. He didn't even remember falling asleep; he had only settled onto the couch to have a drink and try to relax. He had never meant to fall asleep, but once he had it felt as though he couldn't wake up. Usually when he felt caught by his sleep though he would be caught in a nightmare—this time it was definitely not a nightmare.

"What the hell was that?" he asked himself.

He was always so careful not to let himself experience feelings for his niece. Ever since he had first realized how much he cared for her, he did what he could to suppress the feelings. So he didn't understand why he was suddenly dreaming about her. The dream had reminded him of all the feelings he had been trying to ignore.

_If only it could be real._ He sighed, glanced at the clock, and poured himself another shot of vodka. _It's after midnight. When is she coming home? _


	51. Talking and Planning

_A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long, but here it is, and I have the next update almost ready too, so that will be up soon. Thanks (in advance) for the reviews!_

ANGELA PETRELLI & THE COMPANY

LONDON

"Did he do it?"

"Of course he did," Angela replied curtly. "He wouldn't dare not to."

"Excellent," Mr. Okenberg smiled at her success. "May I ask what he put into Peter's mind this time?"

Angela looked skeptical about confiding it, but she did anyway. "He showed Peter the happiness he would have if he were to give into his desires."

"And this happiness, and these desires, I assume they involve his niece."

"Yes," Angela confirmed.

"Then what do you expect to happen now?"

"I expect Peter to either react in extreme defensiveness to his dreams and push her away, or perhaps they will disillusion him into believing that he and Claire can truly have a relationship together." Angela paused. "It may sound cruel, but I personally hope he does attempt to pursue something with her."

"Why?"

"Because I know my granddaughter and she would never excuse it; she will push him away."

"That's good," Mr. Okenberg decided. "If she is the one to pull away, he won't have anyone to turn to and he will be vulnerable."

"As will she," Angela concluded.

"Was it easy to make him cooperate?"

Angela shook her head. "No, he was difficult. As predicted."

"I wish he wouldn't make things so complicated," Mr. Okenberg mused. "He used to be such an excellent addition to our team."

"Yes, I remember," Angela cut him off.

"Forgive me Angela," he smiled at her kindly. "I know how painful it must be for you to accept his betrayal."

"Please," Angela waved her hand like she were swatting at a fly. "It's unfortunate that it had to happen at all, but I don't like to dwell on the unhappy events in my life, so I have chosen to move on."

"I see."

"Just as in time I will move past this little setback that I am experiencing with my ignorant, self-centered sons." She fixed a smile on her face. "I have to go now. The boss is waiting for my report and you know how impatient he can be."

SYLAR & EMILY

NEW YORK

"Okay, so if we're going to do this, we need to sort out everything you know about your daughter," Sylar uncapped a pen and tapped the tip of it on the pad of paper balancing on his knee.

Emily crossed her legs beneath her as she sat on the floor beside the coffee table in the living room. They had been living in the apartment for ten days—Emily had wasted no time in decorating it to her taste. Sylar had not protested, of course, in any way. Even though her style choices weren't necessarily anything like he would choose for his own living décor, Sylar enjoyed living in a place that was so overwhelmingly Emily.

"I've told you everything I know," Emily reminded him. "More than once."

"Tell me again," he requested. "I want to make sure we don't miss anything."

"I was fifteen," she started again. "I got pregnant in New York, ran off to California where I had the baby, left her at a church, and booked the next flight to London where I've lived ever since."

"And you changed your name?" He clarified.

"Yep," she fingered her long red curls. "And I died my hair."

"Really?"

"I'm brunette naturally," she admitted.

"I'm sure you'd be beautiful with whatever hair color you have, but I have to tell you I love you as a redhead." He reached out a hand to touch her hair, but she stopped him.

"Gabriel, I told you that I wasn't ready for that yet."

"I'm not asking you to sleep with me," Sylar pointed out. "I just..." he sighed. "I miss being close to you. I hate myself for ruining the happiness that we had together."

"Yea, I hate you for that too," she smirked. After a moment, her expression softened. "I don't really hate you Gabriel. I told you that it would just take me some time…" she crawled forward towards the couch where he was sitting. "I still care for you."

"You do?"

"Of course I do," she assured him. "I told you before that everything we had together isn't just going to disappear. My trust for you might be a little damaged, but I still care for you. That won't change overnight."

Sylar just smiled.

"Now, can we get back to finding my daughter?"

"Actually, I think there may be something else we should deal with first," Sylar told her. "I'm not sure how you're going to react though…"

"Is it any worse than the secret you already told me?"

"No," Sylar smiled. "Probably not."

"All right then, let's have it, shall we?" Emily straightened up her posture and stared at him firmly, waiting for him to give her his new secret.

"I know this man…" he started. "Actually, I don't know him, so much as I've heard of him. I know some people that he knows…he's a police officer."

"All right…" she smiled. "What're you getting at?"

"I've never officially met him, but I have run across him a couple times…" he continued prolonging the point he was trying to make. "It could just be a coincidence, but it might be something more…"

"Please stop dragging this out!"

"His last name is Parkman," he told her. "And he's special, like you."

"What are you saying?"

"I don't know," he paused. "I guess I'm saying that I think he could be related to you somehow."

"How? He's definitely not my father, I know that much. My father would never be involved with a position in law enforcement. It's much too moral."

Sylar nodded. "Also the man I am referring to is too young to be your father, unless you've been lying to me about your age."

Emily grinned. "Which I haven't."

"Good, then do you have any brothers or maybe a cousin?"

"Not that I know of…" she answered, but then she reconsidered. "Gabriel, you have to understand that I don't know much of my family. My father was always very secretive about his life before joining the Company. I never knew my mother; she died when I was born. I was raised under constant surveillance of the Company, hardly ever leaving the compound. As far as I know, I could have ten brothers that I know nothing about."

"Right…" Sylar shrugged. "I'm sorry, I don't know why I brought it up. The last name could be a complete coincidence. I didn't mean to just assume…"

Emily stopped him. "I don't blame you. I have to admit, my ears do tend to perk up when I hear any mention of someone with my name. The same way they perk up when I hear a little girl mention they were adopted. I look at every little girl and wonder if they could be mine. Even when I know there's no possibility, I still watch little girls with their mothers and imagine what it would have been like to keep my daughter and to raise her and see her grow up…"

Sylar noticed tears forming in Emily's eyes again. She seemed cry a lot lately.

"We'll find her Emily," he promised her, yet again. "One way or another, we will find her. You will have that chance."

"To raise her?" Emily shook her head. "I want to find her and make sure the Company never got their hands on her, but I don't expect to raise her. I'm sure she's settled in to a family now—she doesn't belong to me. I gave her up."

"Maybe she would still want to know you though."

"I doubt she even knows about me."

"Well, the only way to know is to ask, and to do that we have to find her. So let's get back to this list. Can you remember the name of the church where you left your daughter?"

NIKI, MICAH, MOLLY

NEW YORK

"Mom, we're home!" Micah hollered as he entered the house; he let Molly shut the door behind them.

"Hey kids," Niki greeted them with a smile as she came around the corner from the kitchen. Ever since Molly had told them Sylar was back in the city, Niki and DL had been managing their work hours so the kids would never be home alone. "How was school?"

"Fine," Micah answered quickly and then darted off to his bedroom.

Molly on the other hand, stayed behind to talk. "School was annoying," she sighed.

"Annoying?" Niki asked. "Do you want to tell me about it?"

"Sure, but umm…" Molly's eyes drifted toward the hallway where Micah had just disappeared and Niki understood her hesitation.

"Do you not want him to hear?"

"It's about Gavin," Molly clarified.

"Well, Micah's in his room now so I don't think he'll hear us, but if you want to we could go outside and talk for a minute."

Molly nodded. "Yea, I think that would be better."

Niki smiled at how grown up Molly sounded at that moment, and followed her outside to the front of the apartment where they could sit on the steps without having to worry about Micah overhearing.

"Okay, so you know how I was telling you about Gavin wanting me to be his Valentine?" Molly started talking only once she was certain the door was shut and nobody would overhear them.

Niki nodded as settled herself on the top step; Molly sat one step below her.

"Well, like you said, I didn't really do anything about it. I just didn't want to make a big deal or anything," Molly continued.

"I'm glad," Niki assured her. "So what happened? Did he ask you again?"

"He didn't ask really, but I think _he _thought we were like boyfriend and girlfriend or something," Molly explained. "He's nice, I guess, but I don't think I like him like that."

"Why do you think he wants to be your boyfriend?"

"He held my hand today during lunch," Molly admitted.

"Oh?" Niki tried not to show her surprise, or her amusement. "What did you do?"

"Well, I held his hand for a little while. It seemed like the right thing to do."

"Well, sweetie, it might have been the nice thing to do, but it's only right if it's what you want," Niki told her.

"I know," Molly sighed. "And that's why I made him stop after a while. It just felt funny, and people were looking at us weird."

Niki had to look away so Molly wouldn't see her grin. "I'm glad you're able to make up your own mind about this Molly. I think it was very mature of you to be honest with yourself and not go along with something that you're not comfortable with."

Molly shrugged. "That's not the only reason I didn't want to hold his hand."

"Oh?"

"I just don't really like him," she explained. "If it was somebody else then maybe I'd feel different about it…"

"Someone else?" Niki pressed. "Like who?"

"Umm…I don't know…just someone else…"

Niki knew Molly was hiding something now. "Sweetie, is there someone else that you do like?"

The girl shook her head a little too quickly.

"Molly, you know you can trust me…"

"It's not that," Molly assured her. "I just don't really think I'm ready to talk about it. I'm not even sure if I like him or not…and I know he doesn't like me…"

"How do you know?"

"We're just friends."

Niki smiled. "You sound so grown up."

Molly returned the smile. "I am."

"Oh are you?" Niki shook her head. "Why are kids always in such a hurry to grow up?"

"I think that's just the way life is," Molly told her matter-of-factly.

Niki laughed. Every day Molly gave her another reason to smile and she loved her for that. _Love…_Niki had never truly considered how she felt for Molly, but she knew that she really loved Molly as a part of her family.

"I'm going to give you a little advice, sweetheart," Niki cupped the girl's chin in her hand. "Don't rush life. Enjoy every minute of it."

Molly let her cheek rest against Niki's hand. "You're doing it again."

"Doing what?"

"Being all serious and intense."

Niki smiled. "I'm sorry sweetie." She was right. Lately Niki had been letting herself sink into a serious mood a lot. It was hard not to though with the eminent threat of a murderer attacking her family. "Was there anything else you wanted to talk to me about?"

"No, that's all for now. I just wanted to know what you think I should do."

"About Gavin or this other boy that you won't tell me anything about?"

Molly grinned. "Both."

"Well, I think you've got things pretty covered with Gavin. You know that you don't' like him and you're letting him know, right?"

"Right."

"And as far as this other boy goes, I think that you should be patient. Don't give up on him, but don't rush him. Maybe he really does like you and he's just too shy to tell you so."

"Then should I ask him?"

Niki shrugged. She remembered when romance was that simple—a note passed during class asking the important question with two boxes: one for yes and one for no. "If you want to then I say go for it. You'll never know until you ask."

Molly sucked in her breath and let it out slowly. "I don't know…I think I might wait."

"If you're not sure, then maybe it is best to wait," Niki agreed.

"Okay," Molly nodded. "I'll wait."


	52. Dammit Expresses It All

_I just want to give a special shout out to my reader __**Bushimon**__ who always makes me smile with lovely reviews! Thank you!!_

MOHINDER & SASHA

NEW YORK

"You know, I've been thinking."

"That sounds a bit dangerous," Mohinder told her.

Sasha rolled her eyes and continued. "We've been working together for a while now, and I still don't really understand anything about this virus that we're curing."

"You've never showed much of an interest in it before," Mohinder reminded her. "Usually you simply direct me to the patient, I administer the cure, I pray that it works, and we leave."

"Well, things change."

"Why now?"

"Because I'm curious," she explained. "And bored of doing nothing but locating the patients and giving you orders."

"Oh? I didn't think you'd ever tire of bossing me around."

"Very funny," Sasha grabbed for the file he was holding and starting flipping through it. "Tell me about this patient."

"Hold on," Mohinder took the file back and closed it. "If I'm going to start giving you information about what I do, then I want information about what you do."

She laughed. "What's that supposed to mean? You know exactly what I do Dr. Suresh. We work for the same people."

"The difference is, you know who you work for," he told her. "I work for an invisible group known to me only as 'the Company'. What does that mean to me? As far as I know, you could be the only boss that I have, just parading under their name so I will follow your orders."

"What do you want me to do for you?" She asked. "Would it help if you were to meet the Company?"

"Maybe," he shrugged. "I don't know—I doubt it. I'm just trying to make a point. Why should I be doing any favors for you?"

"It's not about doing me favors," Sasha corrected him. "It's about sharing responsibility. We are both working on this virus, and yes technically you are the doctor in charge, but I should at least know how it works."

"What do you want to know exactly?" Mohinder asked.

"I want to know how it works," she repeated. "How does a person catch the virus in the first place? And once they're infected how fast does it spread? Does it attack their immune system or is it carried through their blood?"

He frowned. "You weren't joking. You really do want to know about it, don't you? Though I don't understand why now. After being so unconcerned for so long, what has suddenly sparked this great curiosity?"

She pursed her lips and shrugged. "Call me crazy, but I can't help it. I'm just so intrigued by all the complex details of the virus and…"

"All right," he cut her off. "I am really not interested in your reasons. I'll tell you what you want to know about the virus, but you have to do something for me."

"What?"

"I want you to tell me the truth about what happens after I cure my patients."

Sasha hesitated only for a moment before nodding at him with a confident smile. "Of course. If that's what you want, I'll tell you."

"You will?" Mohinder was a little surprised. He had expected her to protest because he assumed she had never told him the truth because of her employers, but clearly she didn't care much about that.

"Absolutely."

"Forgive me, but I am a little confused right now. I had thought you were under some sort of vow of secrecy or something…"

She shrugged. "Sort of, but this is clearly important to you and I have faith in you Doctor. I know that you believe in the good that you are doing, and regardless of what I am about to tell you, I am confident that you will continue to do your job diligently."

"I am committed to my job," he assured her.

"Fine," she took another pause before answering. "We take them."

"You take them?" He echoed.

"Well, not me personally, not usually anyway. Once you cure them, I call my employers and they send someone to retrieve the patient once we have moved on to our next location."

"And what happens after they are taken?"

"Then the company is in control."

Mohinder shook his head. "That's not a satisfactory answer, I'm afraid."

"Well, that's the only answer I have for you."

"Sasha, we had a deal," he reminded her. "If I'm going to tell you what you want to know about the virus, then you have to tell me everything you know about the company and what they do with my patients."

"Unfortunately, I don't know much of the details."

"You don't know?" Mohinder didn't believe her. "You must know. You have been working with them for a long time now, haven't you?"

"Yes, I have."

"And you are always talking to them on the phone," he pointed out.

"Yes, I know…"

"And you're a terrible liar," he concluded.

"Liar?"

"Yes. Sasha, I know you are lying to me right now. I know that you are completely aware of what the Company does with my patients once I am through with them, and I know that you are not telling me because you believe it will make me abandon my assignment." He paused. "Now let me remind you that no matter what you tell me, I cannot abandon this job. Your employers, whom you are so faithful to, have me trapped. You yourself constantly remind me of that by threatening the safety of Molly Walker. I can't forsaken this job without forsaking her."

Sasha smiled. "Very good."

"So…"

"Sorry, but I still don't know the details of what they're doing. I know that they conduct experiments, and I know that sometimes they recruit the patients to their team."

"Recruit? To create more employees like you?" Mohinder asked. "Well that's just marvelous, isn't it?"

Sasha rolled her eyes. "I'm tired of your cynicism, Dr. Suresh. It's my turn now. Tell me how the virus works."

NATHAN & HEIDI

NEW YORK

"Did you enjoy yourself tonight?"

Heidi's ear picked up Nathan's voice, but she didn't turn her head. For a moment she pretended to be asleep so she wouldn't have to respond.

"Because I did," he continued, clearly not caring whether she was asleep or not. "Tonight was the best time I have had for a long time. I think it should be Valentine's every day. Of course it might have been better if we'd had a date alone…without the boys." He kissed her neck and worked his way up to her ear before speaking again. "We could ask Claire to watch the boys tomorrow if you wanted to go out, just the two of us."

Heidi finally acknowledged him. "Nathan…" she sat up so her back was to him.

"What's wrong sweetheart?" His hand moved to her back and starting rubbing automatically. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Stop." She pulled away from him and he stopped suddenly. "I'm leaving you Nathan."

"What?" He laughed a little, clearly not understanding what she was saying—he thought she was teasing him. "Sweetheart, come lay down, you're not making any sense."

She shook her head. "I would be making sense if you were listening to me." She glanced over her shoulder to look at him and gave him a sad half-smile. "I love you Nathan, I have ever since I met you, but I'm leaving you unless you can explain to me who the blonde woman was in Vegas."

"The blonde?" Nathan repeated.

"Yes, the woman you met in Vegas. You said she was a doctor for Peter, but he was never sick so I know that was a lie. Tell me the truth Nathan."

Nathan sighed. "I don't know what to tell you Heidi."

"Tell me the truth!" She repeated, more loudly than before. "I deserve to know. Don't you think I deserve to know the truth?"

"I'm sorry I lied to you about her being a doctor…" Nathan started. "Peter created the story to cover my ass in front of that reporter, and I thought it might just be easier to leave it that way."

"Easier for who? You?" Heidi laughed. "The only person that got anything out of that lie was you. It might have been nice for me at first when I could believe it, but deep down I never believed it. And now it's only worse for me to realize that you lied to me just to protect yourself from the truth."

Nathan sat up as well, trying to see her expression. He knew the time had come to confess the truth, and he feared what the result would be once she heard. "The truth is, I felt guilty and I hated it. Ever since the accident, I have been blaming myself for what happened to you and I hated myself for it. I couldn't look at you or touch you without remembering that night and it made me sick."

Heidi's eyes watered, but she looked away so he couldn't see.

"I didn't know how to be your husband anymore," he confessed. "I just needed to be able to be with someone without feeling so guilty."

"So you slept with a blonde woman in Las Vegas," Heidi filled in. "Did that make it better for you? Did it help? Did sleeping with her cure your guilt?"

"No," he shook his head. "It only made it worse, but you shouldn't have even had to ask. You have to know how much I love you and how much I have regretted it ever since…"

"Oh really? Should I know that?" She shook her head and climbed out of bed quickly, flinging the blankets aside. "All I know is that you are the only reason this marriage failed. I have done everything I could to make you happy. I know how hard it must have been for you to not be able to sleep with your wife after the accident, but I would have liked to believe that I could trust you to remain loyal to me anyway—for our family."

"Heidi, if I could take it back…"

"Don't even go there," Heidi snapped. "You can't take it back so there's no point even pretending that things could ever be different." She located her robe at the foot of the bed and slipped it on. "You cheated on me, you lied to me, and most of all you broke my heart." She looked at him harshly. "I never stopped loving you Nathan. No matter how much I put with for you, your family, and your candidacy, I stood by your side unconditionally. I loved you unconditionally."

"And now?" He watched her walking toward the door of their bedroom.

"I don't know anymore," she answered bluntly. "I could forgive you for having a daughter and never telling me, because it was out of your control and you thought you were doing it to protect me, but this is different." She opened the door. "I don't know if I can forgive you for this."

"Heidi…"

"No."

"Heidi please…just think about this…" He jumped out of bed and chased her to the door. "You can't leave me—we're a family. I love you and nobody but you."

"That may be so, but how will I ever be able to trust you again?"

"Please don't leave," he begged again.

"I'm staying for now, because I don't want the kids to have to deal with it until we've figured out what we're going to do." She pulled the robe more tightly around herself. "You will be sleeping in the guest room though."

HIRO, CLAUDE, & GROUP

NEW YORK

"_Hiro?" _

"Ando!" Hiro squealed in delight at the first sound of his best friend's voice when he finally got a chance to call him.

"_Hiro!" _Ando repeated, still in shock at finally hearing from his friend again. _"You're alive!" _

"Yes, I am alive, and I have so much to tell you about. I met Takezo Kensei!"

Only silence came from Ando's end of the phone call.

"I did," Hiro restated. "I traveled back in time—accidentally—and met Kensei in the 1600s! He was so cool. And he trained me and I rescued his princess from the enemies…"

"_Where are you now?"_

"I am in New York again," Hiro told him. "The princess had an ability too—she can see things, like Mr. Isaac did, but without painting. She told me that I needed to return to my own time to save the world."

"_Again?"_

"Yes, it is very important for me to save the world or else many people will die."

"_But why you?" _ Ando asked. _"Why does it always have to be you?" _

"I don't know," Hiro confessed. "It's my destiny and I can't change that."

"_Are you sure it's really your destiny? Couldn't your destiny maybe be to just come home and be with your family?" _

Hiro knew that Ando was only feeling lonely, and he couldn't blame him. Hiro missed having his best friend at his side too, but this was his destiny, which was something that Ando couldn't understand. "Maybe one day, but not until the world is saved."

"_I could help…" _

"No," Hiro cut him off. "Not this time. I cannot put you in danger again. I must do this on my own."

"_But…" _

"Ando I must go now," Hiro decided. He didn't want Ando to talk him into bringing him along on his mission, which he knew he would try. "I'll call you later and tell you more about my time in the past and also about my mission here."

"_Be safe Hiro." _

"I will," Hiro assured him. He didn't hang up yet though. "Ando, how is my father? And my sister?"

"_I don't see much of your father. He has put your sister in charge of the company. No one really knows what he does anymore with his time. He is always gone." _

Hiro frowned. He knew how important his father's business was and even though his sister was more than capable of being in control, his father wouldn't leave her alone unless absolutely necessary. "Will you tell Kimiko that I am safe, and if you see my father, send him my regards?"

"_Of course," _Ando promised. _"Goodbye, Hiro." _

Hiro listened as Ando clicked off the phone and then hung up his own as well. He slid open the glass door that opened from the patio back into the house and joined the others were once again gathered in the living room—they gathered quite frequently.

"Have you heard the latest?" Sarah asked Hiro as soon as he had shut the door and taken an open spot on one of the couches. He shook his head and she explained. "Ray has a lead on one of _their_ employees, right here in the city!"

"Do you have a name yet?" Hiro asked.

"No," Sarah shook her head and glanced at Ray. "Why don't you tell him what you've learned?"

"Supposedly the Company has their sights set on one person in particular—I don't know who—and this employee is in charge of bringing that person in."

"So we find this person and stop the Company?" Hiro asked.

Jake and Troy started to laugh, but Sarah just smiled and shook her head at him. "I wish it was that easy," she told him.

"What else do we have to do?" Hiro asked.

"This person that they're after is just one part of their plan. We don't know what their long term plan is yet," Sarah explained. "Until we know what their mission is, I don't think there's much we can do…"

"Way to be an optimist Sarah," Claude commented as he walked through the front door of the apartment.

"Claude…you're home…" she looked a little embarrassed. "I missed you." She smiled up at him and he shook his head.

"You've got to be careful with that one Hiro, she's a damn good sweet-talker," Claude laughed. "She's nothing but well-meaning, though." He crossed the room and patted Sarah on the head like a father would to his daughter.

"Where have you been?" Hiro asked.

"Out," he replied curtly.

"He does that," Sarah told him, pretending to whisper, but speaking loud enough for Claude to hear. "The boss likes his secrets."

"What is the mission?" Hiro asked bluntly.

Every one looked at him.

He shifted in his seat uncomfortably. "I mean, how do we accomplish our mission. How do we save the world?"

"Well first, we're going to need a lot more allies, mate." Claude told him. "We need someone who's strong enough to take on whatever the company sends after us."

"Who is strong enough for that?" Hiro asked.

Claude was quiet for a minute and then sighed. "I've already asked him. He doesn't want any part of our mission."

"Who?" Hiro repeated.

"Peter Petrelli."

PETER & CLAIRE

NEW YORK

"You're home!"

"Oh my!" Claire tried not to lose her balance as Peter nearly knocked her off her feet in his enthusiasm to greet her with a hug the moment she had stepped into the apartment. "Do I dare ask what I've done to deserve this greeting?" She laughed as his arms tightened around her waist and he lifted her an inch off the ground. "Okay…"

"I'm just happy to see you…" Putting her back down, Peter took a step back, but he staggered a little.

Claire scrunched up her nose as she caught a deep whiff of his breath. "Oh god…that's disgusting."

"What is?"

"Peter, you're drunk!"

"No…" he grinned at her, but when he tried to take another step he tripped and landed on his knees. "Ouch."

"Peter, what is wrong with you?" She removed her jacket and dropped it and her purse on the ground before kneeling beside him and trying to help him back up to his feet.

"Nothing!" He exclaimed, still grinning, and slurring a little. "I just had a little bit to drink…" Now he was laughing.

Claire shook her head. "I've been living with you for almost four months now and I've never even seen you drink, let alone get drunk! What's going on?" She managed to help him onto the couch, and he slumped down.

"I was thirsty," he told her.

"You're an idiot," she replied.

"Me?" He forced himself to sit up so he could yell at her. "I am not the idiot! He's the idiot…that stupid idiot…"

Claire frowned. "Who are you talking about?"

"That idiot!" He repeated.

She sighed. "You've mentioned that."

"He's an idiot!" His voice grew louder and his eyes narrowed at her. "He's just using you…"

"Oh my god," Claire gasped. "You're talking about Jaden, aren't you?" She walked away from the couch for a minute, trying to control herself from the lecture she wanted to give him. When she returned to him she hadn't calmed down. "You have no right!"

"He doesn't deserve you!" Peter persisted.

"It doesn't matter whether or not he deserves me, Peter!" Claire was nearly yelling at him now, but she couldn't stop herself. Peter would never understand her emotions because he could never know how torn up she was feeling inside. "It doesn't matter if he really cares about me or if he's just using me. What does matter is that he's _my _boyfriend and it's _my_ life. You don't have a say in it!"

"I do…I do have a say…" Peter started to stand, but Claire pushed him back down.

"Don't get up, you'll just hurt yourself," she told him. "And why do you think you have a say? You're not my dad, you're not even my brother, so what role exactly do you think you have in my personal life?"

"I…" Peter spoke in a loud voice, but it was still very shaky. "I love you…"

Claire sighed. "I know Peter, I love you too."

"No!" He shouted at her. "No, that's not…you don't get it…"

"Then why don't you explain it to me?"

Without saying another word, Peter forced himself to his feet crossed the gap between them.

"What are you doing?" Claire asked when he put his arm around her waist.

Still he didn't say anything. When she started to push him away, he just held her tighter, lowered his head to her height, and pressed his lips to hers.

"Peter!" Claire pounded her fist against his chest, forcing him to let go of her. "What the hell are you doing?" She instinctively covered her mouth with her hand as she backed away from him. "You…"

"I had to…" he told her. "It's all…you're all I think about…"

"You're drunk!" She reminded him. "You don't know what you're saying…you don't know what you're doing!"

"I know exactly what I'm doing," he insisted. "I am drunk…" he agreed as he staggered towards her. "But I am also in love with you…"

"You can't be in love with me! It's wrong! You're wrong."

"Claire…" he reached out to her again, but she moved out of his reach and he stumbled, once again landing on his knees.

"No!" She grabbed her jacket and her purse and opened the door. "It's wrong Peter. It's wrong and you know it! I know it…" she started to cry.

"Don't go!"

She didn't answer him, but instead just ran as fast as she could down the hall and away from him—away from all the emotions that she had been trying to ignore for so long. Outside the apartment, Claire tried to control her tears long enough to flag down a cab. Luckily the streets were still littered with yellow cars, even though the sun was close to rising. It only took a moment for a cab to pull up to the curb, and once she was settled in the backseat her tears started again and she could only just barely mumble out direction to the driver. Ten minutes later the cab pulled up to her destination and she shoved the money through the open divider, still crying.

"You okay, Miss?" The driver asked curiously as she gathered her jacket and purse and fumbled with the handle to open the door.

She shook her head, sniffling, and finally managed to open the door. She mumbled a "thank you" through her sobs to the driver and let the door close with a slam. The driver watched her, still a little curious, as she staggered up to front steps to the door of the mansion that he had driven her to. When she rang the doorbell, he drove away.

Claire waited for a few moments before ringing the doorbell again, and then she knocked as well. She knew it was late, and they were undoubtedly already in bed, but she didn't know where else to go. Peter had been her safe haven for so long; she had never needed to rely on anyone else.

A light above the door snapped on and Claire heard the door being unlocked from inside. She fidgeted with one of her long curls as she waited for the door to open.

"Claire?" Nathan opened the door and stared at her. She could tell he was confused.

"Hi…" she tried to stop crying.

"What are you doing here?"

"I…I didn't know where else to go," she told him.

"What's wrong?" He asked, opening the door wider still and beckoned her inside.

"I just need some place to stay," she explained. She stepped into the house and turned instinctively toward him, falling against his chest and wrapping her arms around him, begging for a hug.

Nathan let his arms close around her and held her, a little awkwardly, for a moment without speaking. "Claire, please tell me what happened."

"I can't," she decided quickly. "I can't. I just need to be somewhere different tonight. Can I stay here tonight?"

"Of course you can," he assured her. "You know you're always welcome here." Nathan motioned her further into the foyer and closed the front door. "Heidi and the boys are asleep, but I know they'll want to see you in the morning. I'm sleeping in the main guest room tonight, but the room my mom made up for you the last time you stayed her is free for you."

"You're sleeping in the guest room?"

He nodded. "Heidi and I had a little argument…sometimes it's just easier to not share the same bed."

"It's none of my business," Claire decided quickly. "But I hope you two can get everything worked out."

"Yea, me too." He smiled and kept his arm around her as he directed her towards the stairs. "Do you need anything?"

"Just a bed."

He walked her up the first flight of stairs and then pointed her towards the second that would lead up to the bedroom she had used when she had first come to New York—it was the only bedroom on the third floor.

"If you need me at any time, I'm just down this hall, the second door."

"Okay," she smiled and held her head up as he gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Thank you so much for letting me stay."

"Of course." He gave her a quick hug. "Sweet dreams."

PETER

NEW YORK

"Dammit, dammit, dammit," Peter cursed loudly and repeatedly slammed his fist against the carpet in front of where he was kneeling. "What was I doing? Dammit!" His head felt light and he shut his eyes for a moment. Watching Claire run away from him had been a quick way to sober him up. The moment she had slammed the front door, realization struck and his self-loathing settled in.

As soon as he had gotten himself to his feet and managed to walk across the living room without stumbling or vomiting, he found his cell phone and dialed automatically. He leaned against the wall to keep his balance as he counted the phone rings anxiously.

"_Hi…" _

"Claire, hi! I'm so sorry…"

"…_you've reached Claire's cell." _

Peter sighed as he realized he was trying to apologize to her answering machine. He heard it through anyway and decided to try and leave a message conveying his sentiments, even though he doubted she would actually listen to it.

"…_leave me a message and I'll call you back, if you say please! Okay, bye!" _

"Claire, it's me…I know you probably don't want to talk to me, or listen to me, but I am so sorry for what happened. I was stupid and drunk and I hate myself for hurting you…please call me back and give me a chance to really apologize to you." He paused for a second and wondered how much longer he had until her answering machine cut him off. "Well, okay, please call me. I'm sorry. Please call." He hung up and let his phone fall the floor as he felt himself getting sick again and raced to the bathroom.

Once his vomiting ceased and his head felt level again, he started silently yelling at himself again.

"I've got to do something." He told himself. "I have to make her understand. I have to explain…I can't lose her."

First, he changed into fresh clothes without any vomit residue. Once he had dressed, he thought about trying her cell phone again, but figured stalking her by phone probably wasn't the best tactic for apologizing.

_I just need her to be happy…I need to make her happy…_he knew firmly that it was all he truly wanted, no matter how miserable he was, as long as she was happy that was all that mattered. _How can I make her happy? How will I ever fix this? _He sat down on the edge of his bed and let his head drop. Taking three deep breaths, Peter didn't even know how it had happened, but a moment later when he lifted his head he was no longer in his room, but standing in the middle of the city.

He knew instantly that something was wrong—everything was different. It was wrong. The city was obviously New York—the distant point of the Empire State Building proved that. Still, something was wrong and for a reason he couldn't explain, he felt uncomfortable being out in the open, so he darted off the main street and ducked into an alleyway. The next moment a group of people marched through the street, dressed uniformly in black; guns were holstered at their waists.

Peter watched them curiously for only a brief moment before mentally telling himself to turn on his invisibility. _What is going on? Where am I? _He knew that the people he was seeing were not military, not any form that he had ever seen before at least, but they were so openly militaristic that he couldn't understand.

He took a couple steps further back into the alleyway a knelt down behind a large dumpster, because even though he knew he was now invisible, he still felt much too exposed. As his knee brushed against the pavement, he noticed an old newspaper wrinkled beneath a collection of garbage. Instinctively, Peter glanced at the heading of the paper to check the date: March 16, 2012_. Dammit. _

_A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! There's been a lot of questions about Molly and Micah, I'm expecting the next update to clear that up for ya'll. The next update, as you've probably guessed by how this one ended will take place in the future. I'm not sure if the future will take more than one update yet, so we'll just see how that goes. I'll try to update sooner rather than later, but I'm going on vacation the day after tomorrow and I don't know how much free time I'll have to write. Unfortunately after that I'll be heading back to school, which will mean even less time to write, but I'm hoping to do weekly updates, probably on a regular day, so ya'll can know when to expect them! Thanks again for all the marvelous reviews. It makes me so happy to see how much everyone is enjoying this story, because as much as I love writing, this is called "fan" fiction for a reason and I love writing for all you other fans who enjoy the show as much as I do! Okay, I'm done rambling now. XOXO. _


	53. Pretending To Understand

PETER

NEW YORK – MARCH 16, 2012

Peter fled from the main street, seeking shelter in the shadows of a nearby alleyway. The fear he had been sensing while out in the open was legitimized in the next moment when a group of people marched the street. They were dressed head to toe in black with guns glinting from holsters around their waists. Peter turned on his invisibility quickly, feeling a need to be even more covered than the alley provided for him. The group marched ahead down the street, very well aligned as though they were in some type of military formation. Calculating with a guess, he counted perhaps fifteen people—both male and female. Backing further into the alleyway, Peter knelt by a large dumpster for even more coverage. An old newspaper on the ground caught his attention and he briefly scanned the headline.

_March 16, 2012? Dammit! Five years? How the hell did I jump five years? _

Peter had heard of Hiro's experiences with time traveling, of course, so he understood that it was possible, but he had never done it himself before. He had gotten pretty good at teleporting in the past couple months, but time traveling hadn't even crossed his mind yet. There was something about jumping into a different year that made him a little nervous. Doing it accidentally was even worse than he could have anticipated.

He started mentally running through all the problems that he could encounter in this unknown time. He didn't know where anyone was or what they were doing, or what he was even doing in this time. Also, the "military" party was making him very uncomfortable.

_I have to get home. _Even as he thought it though, he had an unmistakable feeling that getting home wouldn't be simple.

Suddenly, the people marching through the street halted, switched their formation, simultaneously drawing their guns from the holsters. When the guns had been unsheathed Peter noticed the difference from what regular guns looked like. The handles were longer and the barrel was thinner and seemed to be missing a piece of the metal—he couldn't understand what was wrong with them.

"Target, two o'clock!" One of the soldiers bellowed. All the people shifted their attention to the right and aimed their weapons. Peter couldn't see what they seemed to see, but they were aiming at the opposite side of the street, so he still felt safe. "Hold positions!"

"Nakamura, now!" Another man shouted and one of the soldiers stepped forward. Peter gasped as he recognized his Japanese friend. It wasn't the same Hiro Nakamura that he knew though; this man looked dark, cold, and angry. The cheerful optimism that was usually strong with Hiro seemed completely gone in his expression.

A moment later, Peter realized the soldiers were no longer moving—they had clearly been frozen. Peter briefly wondered if he should make himself visible to Hiro, but the next second he was glad he didn't. Hiro moved forward into the alley across the street and pulled a girl from behind a collection of half-broken crates and smashed boxes.

_No! It can't be…_Peter braved a few steps out of the alley he was hidden in, in order to get a better look at the girl who Hiro was no dragging back to the rest of the group—she too was frozen, but petite enough to be half-carried, half-dragged. He bound her hands in handcuffs before unfreezing everyone.

The soldier who seemed to be in charge approached Hiro and the girl. He nodded approvingly.

"You have given us quite the run around, Miss Walker. It's good to finally to have you in chains."

Molly struggled, but she knew she wouldn't get away from them. "They'll come for me." She told her captors fiercely. "Even now they are searching for me. You won't keep me for long."

"Oh we hope they come," he told her. "They'll be waling right into our arms."

"No!" Molly shook her head furiously and started to cry.

"Keep her quiet," the leader barked.

Making certain to keep up his shroud of invisibility, Peter crept after the group. He was determined to keep his eyes on Molly. Even though this was a different time and he didn't understand anything that was going on, he still felt a need to protect the girl that had been for a while in his and Claire's care.

The group marched boldly through the streets, clearly not concerned in the least with who saw them. Peter desperately wanted to know more; it made him crazy not to understand the details of what was happening.

_Why here? _He wondered. _Why now? _Of all the times he could have accidentally jumped to, he needed to know what brought him to this particular time.

He followed for eight blocks before the group halted suddenly again and turned uniformly to the right and headed down a new street. Since he had stopped briefly to wait and see what they were going to do before following again, he now had to jog a little to catch up. By time he rounded the corner that they had turned down, they were already sliding open the door to a warehouse and filing in. Peter noticed Hiro and another man forcing Molly inside. Peter started to move closer.

"You might not want to go that way just yet."

Peter instinctively whirled around and raised his arms, preparing for a fight. He found himself face to face with a young woman; he lowered his hands slowly, but still watched her cautiously.

"I didn't mean to scare you," she told him. "Really though, if anyone should be scared it's me." She frowned. "I thought you were dead!"

Peter hesitated. He had no idea who this woman was, but she definitely seemed to know him. He didn't know if he should play along or tell her the truth.

"So, two questions. No, three," she continued. "One, how did you survive? Two, where the hell have you been hiding? And three, what were you thinking going after them alone?"

"Molly…" He started to explain.

The girl's expression crumbled. "They found her? Shit." She sighed. "Micah's got to be going crazy. We should go. We need to tell the others and plan out our strategy."

He still had no idea what to do. Nothing made sense to him and he hated not having control of the situation or his own actions for that matter. The confusion drove him insane. He didn't know if he should stay and attempt to rescue Molly, or if he should follow this unfamiliar girl and see what she knew. Her mentioning Micah did ease his mind a bit; at least someone would be familiar to him. In the end he decided to go with her, though mainly because the people he had been following had already vanished inside the building, with Molly. He realized that he would have little luck in rescuing the girl when he didn't even understand the situation entirely.

"Come on," she urged him as she turned to the left and headed down a side street. She walked quickly, and he noticed for the first time that she wasn't wearing shoes—it explained how she was able to sneak up on him without him hearing her. She padded away from him on her curious bare feet, barely seeming to notice the hard pavement or small rocks that pecked at her skin. "Hurry up!" She commanded, turning her head only partway, using her peripheral vision to see how far behind Peter lagged.

As he sped up to follow her, Peter started calculating all the problems that could come from this choice that he had made. He knew nothing about her, but clearly she knew enough about him. If he was truly going to keep his time traveling a secret, he would have to be extra careful not to say anything that would inform her of his ignorance. Of course, his curiosity kicked in before his mind could catch up and he spoke without thinking.

"How could you see me?"

"What?" She didn't slow or turn.

"I was invisible. I know I was!" Peter started doubting himself.

"Yea so?" She picked up her pace even more; her legs were at least three inches shorter than Peter, but her feet moved so fast he had trouble keeping up.

"How could you see me?"

She stopped suddenly and turned in one fluid motion that caught him off guard. "What the hell are you talking about Peter?"

He realized he had slipped up. "Nothing," he muttered quickly.

Her dark, narrow eyes scrutinized him, clearly trying to interpret his expression. "Are you okay? You're acting sort of…different."

"I'm fine," he assured her. "It's just been a while…" he hoped that would be an okay thing to say without arousing further suspicion.

Her hard expression finally calmed and she actually almost smiled. "It has been a long time and you have to know that I'm dying to hear your explanation, but we should wait until we're with the others. Come on!"

She started to trot away again and he once again followed her, this time deciding it would be best to stay silent entirely in order to stop himself from jeopardizing his secret any more than he already had. A moment later she was daring down a side street and she came to a stop. Glancing around briefly for security, she then motioned for him to join her and together they pushed aside a large metal dumpster, revealing a small door, only large enough for a grown adult to crawl through, which the two of them quickly did.

"Can you move the dumpster back in place?" She whispered to him as she crawled first. Peter briefly wondered how he would manage that, but the way she was staring at him made him realize that she intended for him to use his abilities and so he did, and then he followed her on hands and knees through a short tunnel until they reached an open space where they could stand.

"What's the password?"

Peter's eyes widened when he spotted a man holding a knife to the girl's throat. She, however, seemed perfectly calm.

"Elizabeth," she responded.

The man removed the knife and now pulled her into his arms for a hug. "You had me so worried!"

"I wasn't gone that long!"

"You were gone for almost two hours. We agreed that we'd never be gone for more than one hour at a time."

"Well, I got distracted," she told him, and for the first time she motioned Peter forward, drawing him to the center of attention.

"Peter?" The other man's voice shook. "How do you know it's him?"

"Well, he was using his invisibility when I found him, and he just used his telekinesis to cover the door."

"That's it? That's your only indication?" The guy shook his head. "Jules, you know that's not enough anymore."

_Jules._ Peter made a quick note of the name. _Could be a nickname for what? Julia? Julianne? Juliet…_He needed to blend in and know them as well as they knew him, especially since they were already suspicious of him.

"Ray, come on! Why would they mimic him? They think he's dead too!" The girl protested.

_Ray. _Peter mentally repeated the new name so he could more easily remember it.

"We'll let Sarah decide."

_Sarah._

"Fine," she agreed. "Where's Sarah?"

"I'll go get her. Stay here." Ray kept his knife in his hand, but left them alone as he disappeared into another room out of their sight.

"He'll get over it," she told Peter when they were alone. "You know he's always been the grumpy one. I guess he has reasons too. I mean, well, you know." She dropped off, but Peter wished she would explain herself so he could learn what he was supposed to already know. "I guess you noticed the password hasn't changed. We probably should change it again. Who knows what they'll be able to get out of Molly's head, but ever since you…" she smiled, a little sadly. "We just wanted to keep the password you created."

He smiled, because it seemed like the right reaction. _I created? Why would I think of the name "Elizabeth" as a password? Who's Elizabeth? _

"Here they come," she pointed towards the door that Ray had gone through a moment ago.

He was exiting out of it now, followed by a slender girl with light brown hair that looked like it hadn't been washed in quite a while. She had it pulled back in a braid to keep it out of her face. He assumed this was the Sarah they had mentioned earlier.

"Peter!" A wide smile lighted her previously sallow face and she bounded across the room towards him.

"Hi…" he mirrored her smile, again feeling it was the right response.

"Oh my god!" She reached him and only hesitated for the briefest instant before throwing her arms around his neck and holding onto him tight; Peter couldn't remember the last time he had been held that tightly. "You're alive."

He realized that she had started to cry and he started to feel a little uncomfortable.

"What happened? Where have you been? Why didn't you tell us?" She still hadn't released him.

"Umm…" he didn't know what to say. His faking would only go so far.

Suddenly she pulled away from him. "What's wrong?"

"What do you mean?"

Ray stepped forward, raising his knife slightly.

Sarah pushed him away. "Ray, leave him alone. It's Peter."

"Told you," Jules piped in quickly.

"Then what's wrong?" Ray asked.

"I don't know…" she stared at Peter with her face only an inch from his. "What are you so nervous about?"

He shook his head.

"Why did my hug make you so uncomfortable?" She paused and her smile fell. "Oh…well…I mean…obviously I didn't think about all that…I was just excited to see you…I'm sorry if I…" then she stopped. "No…it's not that. You're not _nervous_. You're _confused_." She took a step back. "He doesn't know me. He doesn't know any of us."

"It's not him!" Ray was back at Sarah's side with his knife gripped tightly in his hand.

"How can it not be?" Jules took a small step away from him.

"I don't understand…" Sarah sighed. "It feels so much like him."

"It is me," Peter spoke up quickly. He realized that he wouldn't be able to keep his secret if he intended for them to trust him.

"It's not though…" Sarah argued. "I mean it is, but it's not."

"Sorry Sarah, but that's not going to cut it for me." Ray stepped past her, nearer to Peter.

Reacting instinctively, Peter used his telekinesis to send retaliate against Ray's approach and sent him flying across the room. He hadn't meant to use so much force, but it was an automatic action. "I'm sorry!" He exclaimed, just as automatically, once his adrenaline had settled and he realized that he might have overreacted just a bit. Strangely, he noticed Sarah was smiling at him.

"He had it coming," she told him. "You know Ray…" then she stopped. "Actually no, you don't. That's very clear. I don't know what to think Peter. I want to believe that it's truly you, but you don't even know _me_!"

He shook his head. "I can explain, but I don't know if you'll believe me…"

"Try me."

"It's complicated."

"Well, maybe I can un-complicate it for you. If you can't convince me, and Ray, that you are Peter, then I don't think even your telekinesis will be able to save you." She gave him a slight smile, but he could tell that she was completely serious.

Before he had a chance to explain, someone new emerged from the other room. Peter recognized him instantly, just as he had been able to recognize Molly. He was five years older, but his features had only matured, not changed enough to make him unrecognizable. The young man also seemed to instantly recognize Peter—his expression showed shock.

Sarah was smiling wider now and Ray, who had returned to her side, noticed the change in her countenance.

"What is it? What do you sense?"

She stared at Peter as she answered. "Relief."

Peter ignored her and stepped past both Sarah and Ray, eager to meet someone he recognized. "Micah!"

"Pete?" Micah responded, clearly disbelieving his own eyes.

Peter took a moment to register hearing Micah call him "Pete" which usually was a nickname used only by his own brother. The Micah he knew was just a kid who half the time seemed tempted to refer to Peter as "Sir" and now this grown-up Micah was addressing him like they were best friends.

"Christ, Pete, I thought you were dead!"

Peter couldn't get over how grown-up Micah was. He knew he was no older than sixteen, but his appearance and manner was rough enough to make him seem much older than he really was.

"Yea, well, there's something I have to explain to you about that," Peter told him. The other three who had been hanging back politely as Micah and Peter reunited, now crept forward, eager to hear his intriguing explanation. "It's sort of complicated…and you might not believe me, but I swear it's true…"

"Hold on," Micah stopped him. "You know he'll want to hear everything too."

"He?" Peter questioned. He didn't know how many new people he wanted to have to explain himself to.

"Come on, let's go in the back. He's in the middle of working on another rescue mission for Emily—we told him it's useless, but he won't give up. Now that you're back though, we might have a better chance!" Micah led the group back through the door and into the back room, which Peter now got to see for the first time. And for the first time he realized how desperate their situation was.

The crawlspace entrance and the password clearly weren't just superfluous security measures. They seemed to now be in the main living area, but it was nothing more than an abandoned warehouse with bars and boards covering the windows, blankets for beds, and candles for lighting. He couldn't imagine what sort of event had forced them into this type of hiding. Then he saw him—the last person he could have ever guessed to run into in this time and place: Sylar.

Peter didn't even care to take a moment to process the situation before attacking. He wasn't going to give Sylar a second chance to achieve a victory. He wanted to release every offensive power he could bring to mind, starting naturally with his telekinetic ability to throw Sylar against the nearest wall and hold him up above the ground.

"Peter!" Sarah and Jules screeched in unison at Peter's unexpected attack.

Peter could hear a dozen thoughts pressing into his mind at once. Everyone was fearing him—him, Peter, not Sylar. The amount of panic and terror shocked him and made his abilities temporarily falter. He dropped his mental hold on Sylar and he fell to the ground. The strongest thoughts came from Sarah who was panicking about Peter's intense emotional hatred towards Sylar.

"_It can't be him," _she was thinking. _"Why would he want to hurt Gabriel?" _

Peter turned towards her. "You mean you actually work with that bastard?"

"_What's gotten into him?" _Jules wondered.

Peter noticed that she had again started creeping away from him. "You're scared of _me_? Why not of him?" He turned to Micah, expecting to at least get a clear response from the kid who understood the terror that Sylar had once created, though not specifically in Micah's life, but in the lives of most of his acquaintances. "Why is he here?"

Micah frowned. "What do you mean?"

Sylar stayed near to the wall, but bravely spoke up. "Sarah, are you sure it's him?"

She nodded quickly. "Yea, but he's different. He hates you. He feels fear and anger…"

"What do you mean I feel? Stop pretending like you know what I'm feeling!" Peter now gave up all pretense of playing along. He no longer trusted any of these people and he didn't care if they knew the truth about him.

"Peter, it's my ability," Sarah told him. "I'm an emotional empath. I can sense what you're feeling."

Her explanation calmed Peter down a little, but he still didn't trust her.

"How can he not know you?" Micah asked.

"He doesn't know any of us," she answered. "Well, he knows you. And he knows Gabriel, but not as you are now." She concentrated on Peter for a moment before speaking again. "He feels connected to you Micah, but you when you were younger—he feels a need to protect you. And Gabriel, he…"

"Hates me, yea I got that."

"What the hell is going on?" Micah spoke up again. "Pete, what's wrong with you?"

"It's not him," Sylar decided.

"It is though…" Sarah still protested.

"I mean it is," Sylar corrected himself. "It is Peter Petrelli, but it's not our Peter. He jumped."

"Through time?" Micah clarified.

"Yep," Sylar nodded. "That's the only thing that makes any sense. It would explain why he doesn't know any of us as we are now. When are you from Peter?"

Peter hated being addressed directly by Sylar, but since he seemed to be the one who knew what was going on, Peter decided he would have to talk to him eventually and so he answered, "2007."

"Wow," Ray sighed. "That explains a lot."

"Why did you come here?" Micah asked.

"I have no idea," Peter answered truthfully. "I didn't even mean to. I didn't even realize that I could. I mean I knew I had the ability, but I've never used it before."

"So you accidentally jumped here and you have no idea what's going on?" Micah shook his head. "Five years…wow…a lot's happened in five years as you might have noticed."

"Yea, like you becoming buddies with a murderer," Peter snapped.

"You don't understand," Micah told him. "He's not that person anymore."

"He killed people!" Peter exclaimed. "A lot of people. He tried to kill me. He tried to kill Molly and Claire…" he stopped. "Oh God…where is Claire?"

The group became uncomfortably silent.

"What? Where is she?"

Micah couldn't answer, so Sylar again made a brave choice in stepping forward and replying to Peter's demand.

"They got her," he answered. "She was one of the first ones to be taken."

_A/N: Okay, I know this is a strange place to cut it off, but it was a long update and if I hadn't stopped here it never would have stopped. I'm not sure how long Peter will be in the future for. Hopefully no more than four chapters, but we'll see. There's quite a lot for him to learn before he heads back. _

_Secondly, I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update, but unfortunately my break is now over and I am back in school with a very full load this semester. I don't know if I'll be able to write as much as I'd like, but I am going to try to update once a week (probably regularly on Sunday or Monday). _

_Thank you so much for all the excellent reviews I have been receiving. As always, they are so incredibly encouraging. Please keep them up! I don't typically like to beg, but here I am begging!! XOXO_


	54. Further Understanding

"What do you mean, they got her?" Peter demanded the moment he heard Sylar's declaration; he didn't even seem to notice that it was Sylar who spoke.

"It's what they do now," Sylar continued to explain. As long as Peter was going to allow it, Sylar was going to take advantage of his permission to speak. "They search for those of us with advanced abilities that they can use for their twisted organization, and then they take those people hostage. Some of them they turn, but those that they can't turn, they keep locked up..." He paused for a moment, sighed, and then finished his thought. "Or some of them they kill."

"Why?"

"God only knows."

"So has Claire been turned? Is she one of them, like Hiro?"

Peter noticed some of the group's expressions change.

"You saw Hiro?" Micah asked.

"Yea, he was the one who took Molly," Peter explained. "I knew there was something wrong when I saw him do that."

"What?" Micah jumped to attention. "They got Molly? When? Where? Why didn't any of you tell me?"

"We were going to…we just needed the right moment," Jules told him slowly. "That's where I found Peter. He was getting ready to charge in like the cavalry, all alone." She paused. "I'm so sorry Micah."

The boy's brown eyes grew dark and his brows furrowed fiercely. "What are we still doing here? We need to go after her. We have to get her back!"

"We will," Sylar spoke up. "We'll get her back. She'll be fine."

"We don't have time to wait. We have to get her now."

"Micah, we have to make a plan. You know it's not that easy." Sylar stopped for a moment and stared hard at Micah; his eyes said a million things, but Peter didn't understand any of it. "Remember, she's not the first one we've lost."

Micah took a deep breath and slowly calmed down. "I'm sorry, Gabriel. I wasn't thinking…"

Peter wondered who else had been lost in this war that was so unfamiliar to him. As curious as he was though, his thoughts were only focused on Claire and so he asked about her again.

"She hasn't been changed, Pete." Micah told him finally. "They couldn't change her in a hundred years. Unfortunately for her though, they'll have a hundred years to try."

"What do you mean?"

"Her abilities have developed more. She can't die Peter," Sylar explained. "Her body will continually regenerate. She'll never be able to die—unless she has her head cut off or something. I'm not really certain about the specifics."

"What are they doing with her?"

"Tests mostly, I guess." Micah told him. "We don't really know."

"We have to get her back," Peter decided instantly. "And Molly obviously."

"And Emily," Sylar spoke up.

"Who?"

"Emily is my wife."

"And they took her too?"

"A few months ago. She's hated them for a long time, but we were doing okay. We were fighting them together, until recently…she started taking more aggressive measures and stopped discussing them with me first." Sylar sighed. "And finally they caught her."

"Why did she hate them so much? I mean, other than the obvious."

"She was raised by them," Sylar answered briefly.

"Look Pete, there's something I think you should see…it might help you understand the changes we've had to survive," Micah spoke up suddenly.

Peter gave him his attention, curiously, and Micah directed his eyes to a TV propped up in the corner on a wooden crate. Only one station seemed to come in, and even that one was fuzzy, but Peter watched intently when he saw who was speaking on the screen.

"…_we are living in a world of opposition. It is not foreign powers who are opposing us though, but those within our own nation—our neighbors, our friends, and even our families." _

"What the hell is he talking about?" Peter moved closer to the TV and knelt in front of it. The others moved in behind him, carefully watching his reaction. The news on the television meant nothing to them anymore—they had seen the same speech a hundred times.

"…_now more than ever, it is crucial for us to stay grounded in what we know to be right and not be influenced by the threatening lies of those who are misguided." _

"He's one of theirs now Pete," Micah spoke up again. He placed his hand on Peter's shoulder. "He has been since the beginning. I'm sorry."

"But I don't understand…why would he?" Peter turned away from the TV only briefly to look for an answer in Micah's sad eyes.

"There's something you have to know about the Company, Pete…"

"What? Tell me!" His eagerness was convicting, but it only made the group sadder.

"The people leading it…well not actually leading it—the real leaders are a whole other issue—but the people who started it so many years ago…"

"Get to the point Micah!"

"It's your mom, Pete," Micah told him abruptly.

"My mom what?" Peter had missed the point. "Have they got her too?"

"No," Micah shook his head.

"Not exactly…" Sarah spoke up again and stepped closer to him as though she wanted to comfort him, but not exactly knowing how.

"She was one of the founders." Sylar had no trouble saying what the others couldn't.

Peter glared at him, both skeptically and resentfully.

"I know you don't want to hear it, especially not from me, but that doesn't make it any less true. She's been in it from the beginning as far as we can tell. There's a whole group of them who got the job rolling—of course their mission's become a bit altered since the other ones took charge."

"You're lying." Peter looked to Micah for confirmation, but Micah was staring at the ground. "It's not true! My mom's got her issues sure, but she's not capable of something like this!" He paused. "And you say since the beginning, but the Company's been around for years—like before I exploded and everything!"

"Sure has," Sylar commented without emotion.

Peter hesitated. He had been repressing the truth for so many months now that he hadn't stopped to consider it. His mom had been involved in the explosion—he was fully aware of that. Linderman and his mom had been working together for years. After the explosion though, Peter had wanted to believe that whatever scheme they had been plotting had failed and therefore had ended for good. He hadn't given thought to the possibility of a new plan being put into place. Sadly, it made sense to him that she hadn't forsaken her maniacal conspiracies. She had been silent for far too long to be without a purpose.

"Who else is involved?" He wanted to know.

"Actually you probably wouldn't know a lot of them. At the time you come from, they haven't made headlines yet," Micah explained. "Though you should know that Hiro was recruited by his dad."

"Mr. Nakamura?"

"Yea, he and your mom have been partners for a long time. His involvement with the Company was kept pretty quiet though strangely. In fact before Hiro got turned, and he was on our side briefly, he told us that his dad had wanted to help him stop you from exploding. Now that the truth about him has come out though, we think he was just trying to cover up his real involvement. The truth is he's even higher up in the chain than your mom, as far as we can tell."

"You keep saying turned. What does that mean exactly? How do they turn people? How did they turn Nathan?"

Micah looked to someone else for an explanation this time. Jules stepped up. "It's a type of brain control. We don't know the details—we haven't managed to get close enough to their headquarters to learn enough about how it works, or how to stop it. What we do know though is that they get the power from someone with an ability."

"An ability to mind control?" Peter repeated. "Like Matt?"

There was a brief silence.

"Dammit." Peter sighed. "It _is_ Matt, isn't it?"

"Yea. To be honest, we don't even know how they got him on their side." Micah told him. "One second he was with us and the next," he shrugged. "It doesn't make sense at all! I mean he was happy. He had his wife—they had a son—and he even had his sister now!"

"I didn't know Matt had a sister," Peter spoke up.

"Emily," Sylar told him. "Emily is his sister. They never knew about each other."

"Where's Janice?"

"She's safe," Micah assured him. "Mohinder's made sure of that."

"Mohinder? What's he up to."

"He's the one taking care of all of us," Sarah smiled. "He makes sure we're all safe."

Sylar froze suddenly. He tilted his head and then looked at the others. "Run."

"What?" Peter looked around at the others, trying to figure out what was happening.

"Run now!" Sylar shouted.

The dispersion was alarming. Peter felt himself being jostled in the rush, but he didn't move. His instincts told him to become invisible again, but he couldn't do it. His abilities failed him—his mind was too focused on everything he had been hearing.

"Pete, run!"

Micah's voice sounded distant. Before he could respond, he felt something sharp pierce through the skin on his back and a moment later his body exploded in pain. He felt like he was on fire, and then on ice, and then he just felt pain and finally he felt nothing.

_A/N: Okay, so I know I missed a week, but it's been harder than I expected to find time to write. My schoolwork keeps me insanely busy. Any free time I do have, I'm usually sleeping. I'm doing my best to keep my writing more regular, but I can't promise anything, except that I won't forsake this story. I love it way too much—unfortunately it's been costing my other stories to suffer. I'm trying to find a way to balance all my stories and my schoolwork and my life. So, stay with me please and always review! Because that keeps me going. _


	55. Kill Jaden!

_A/N: Okay, so I know it's been a long time and this update is hardly sufficient to make up for the gap, but this semester has been a beast, and unfortunately pleasure writing is not going well. Because of this, I have decided to just put this story on hold until I have more time, probably this will mean summer. I am going to continue writing whenever I have a chance, but officially I'm going to put it on hold so you won't all be expecting me to update weekly. If I do get enough done, I will update, but I don't want you to be holding your breath. I hope I'll manage to get some done despite my homework, but school's a bitch. I am still devoted to this story though, and I do have every intention of completing it. I'm sorry it's become so inconsistent and I hope you won't give up on me! XOXO_

"I don't understand." 

Voices echoed in Peter's head. He could barely differentiate how many people were talking, or what they were saying—they sounded distant and muffled. When he tried to open his eyes though and felt how his head ached, he realized the difficulty in hearing could be a side effect to whatever had happened to him. 

"I thought he was dead." 

"He's supposed to be dead."

"This is bad." 

It seemed like there were many voices and they sped through Peter's mind, not allowing him to make sense of any part of the conversation. At one moment something sounded familiar, but the next it was gone and he was confused again. 

"We've got to tell them." 

"They're not going to be happy." 

"They're never happy." 

"But we have to tell them." 

"And what do we do with him?" 

"That's their call." 

"We can't just leave him here…he could escape." 

"He can't escape." 

"_He _could." 

Peter knew that the voices were discussing him. He wanted to speak up for himself, tell them he wouldn't try to escape if they would just tell him what was going on, but his eyes were covered and his throat was so dry it hurt; he knew talking wouldn't be possible. 

"Knock him out." 

"Like that would work." 

Peter didn't like the sound of them or what they were planning. He wanted to regain his strength so he could defend himself, but his head refused to settle and he knew he wouldn't have any chance of controlling his abilities. 

"Well do something. What do you think would happen if he got away? Do you want that on your head?" 

"No." 

"Okay, then you should stay here and guard him." 

"Like hell I'm staying here. You stay here!" 

"I don't have an active power. How am I supposed to defend myself?" 

"Not my problem…" 

Peter wished he could at least see. There was something comforting about sight. Their arguing was interrupted by a new voice though—one Peter didn't need his sight to identify. 

"What the hell is going on here?" 

"Mr. Petrelli, Sir, we don't know…we conducted the raid on that warehouse and we found him…" 

"Everyone else got away though, Sir." 

"It's not him," Nathan stated firmly. 

"But Sir, look at him…" 

"I know what he looks like, but have you forgotten my brother is dead? I certainly haven't. This man is an imposter." 

The blindfold was suddenly ripped from Peter's face and he found his brother's face an inch away. The elder Petrelli looked so different from how Peter knew him that he almost doubted his own eyes. There was a trace of something unmistakable in his eyes, however, which convinced Peter of the identity. 

"Who are you?" Nathan asked. 

"We used the stun gun on him, Sir. He may not be able to talk yet." 

Nathan glared at the two men, whom Peter didn't recognize now that he could see them. "I want answers as soon as he's capable of giving them. And they'll want to know as well." 

A loud alarm sounded all around. Peter's two captors looked terrified; Nathan looked livid. 

"God dammit, I gave strict orders for her to be kept sedated." He pointed down the hall. "Stay posted here. She is not to enter this room at any cost. The last thing we need is for her to believe he's alive." 

Before either of the lackeys had a chance to respond, they were zapped by the same type of stunning device that had been used on Peter. Nathan slipped into the corner, to stay out of sight and a moment later Claire sprinted into view. She was wearing loose white scrubs and her long hair was ratty, like it hadn't been groomed in a long while, but she still looked beautiful. Peter tried calling out to her, but his throat was too dry. 

"Peter!" She spotted him instantly—her eyes filled with tears. "I knew they were lying. I knew you couldn't really be dead!" 

He shook his head, instead of speaking, but she ignored him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Nathan slowly emerged from his corner, and Peter noticed a syringe gleaming in his hand. Peter swallowed anxiously, trying to moisten his throat enough to speak. 

"Nathan…" he managed to force out. 

"I know. He told me he killed you, but he was lying thank God!" She mumbled into his ear. 

Peter shook his head and tried to push her away. "Look…" he coughed. 

She pulled back suddenly sensing his fear, and looked around just in time to avoid Nathan's attack. She ducked and then swung her leg up and around, connecting with his stomach. He dropped the syringe, but attempted to hold her down. She maneuvered out of his grip and kicked him in the back. 

"Peter do something!" She pleaded as Nathan swung his fist against her chin. 

Peter watched in horror as Nathan continued to assault his own daughter. He punched her, and kicked her, but she fought back resiliently. Her lip was bleeding, but it took less than a second to heal completely and she carelessly wiped away the blood. Nathan reached for the syringe, but she kicked it out of the way. 

"Peter!" She screamed again. 

"You're making a mistake," Nathan spoke suddenly. "Claire, I never lied to you. I never would. I did kill Peter two years ago. This person is an imposter." 

His words startled Claire just long enough for Nathan to get the upper hand. He kicked her hard in the back and she fell to the ground, giving him the opportunity to retrieve the syringe and jam it into her shoulder. 

"Peter…" she gasped as the powerful sedative started to take effect. 

"Claire, I'm sorry." Peter spoke up—his voice finally coming back to him. "I never meant to hurt you." 

Her green eyes were focused on him curiously. 

"I never meant to make you run!" He stared into her eyes sincerely, desperate to make her understand. "I just love you too much!" 

Her eyes brightened for an instant and she struggled to speak as Nathan hoisted her into his arms, preparing to carry her back to her prison. 

"Jaden…" she whimpered. 

Peter shook his head. "No, Claire, it's me. It really is." 

She smiled and nodded. Her eyes glimmered strangely. "Kill Jaden…" 

Nathan's eyes widened and he smacked her hard across the face to silence her. He stared at Peter and seemed to suddenly understand. 

"Dammit Pete, you time-traveling bastard." He shouted down the corridor. "Emergency. Code 33!" 

Sensing his danger, Peter panicked. He looked briefly at Claire's hopeless condition, shut his eyes tightly, and focused desperately on home. When he opened them again, he was staring at his own apartment in New York, and he knew he had successfully returned.


	56. Establishing A Connection

_A/N: Summer's here, and so am I! Now that school has finished I will be able to write again, hopefully frequently. I hope you all are not too disappointed with how long I have been away, and I hope you still enjoy my story and will continue to read and review. Thanks so much for all the faithfulness and reviews so far. XOXO_

NATHAN, HEIDI AND CLAIRE

PETRELLI RESIDENCE

"Are you sure there's nothing I can get for you?"

Claire shook her head slowly and offered Heidi a weak smile. "Just being here is helping, really. Thank you so much for letting me stay."

"Of course," Heidi sat down beside the girl on the couch and put a gentle arm around her shoulders. "You can stay as long as you need to."

Nathan stood in front of the couch, watching his wife comfort his daughter, and he felt a strange sense of joy he didn't know was possible. Witnessing the scene filled his mind with possibilities of the future and the connection he hoped Heidi and Claire could one day have together. He realized at that moment that it was all he wanted—he wanted Claire to be welcomed as a part of his family. Of course, he also knew that in order for that future happiness to exist, Heidi would have to forgive him for his infidelity. She was being incredible to Claire, but she was still barely speaking to him.

"Are you hungry? You can have anything you want."

"I'm okay…"

"Claire," Heidi smiled at her patronizingly. "You don't have to be polite or considerate with me. I can tell you're hungry. What would you like to eat? We have almost everything here, or we could go out and get you something if you like."

"I'd rather not go out…"

"Okay, then let's find you something here," Heidi stood and held out her hand to Claire.

After a moment, Claire nodded and stood with Heidi, giving her hand. The girls passed Nathan together and he smiled at them both.

"Do you need my help with anything?" He offered quickly.

"I've got it covered," Heidi told him briskly.

"Okay…" he appreciated Heidi's assistance, but there was definitely still a part of him that hurt at not being allowed to help.

In the kitchen, Heidi showed Claire the pantry.

"You can help yourself to anything in here, or I can have the cook make you something," Heidi offered.

Claire shook her head. "I don't need anyone to be put out for me. I can make myself something."

"You cook?"

"Yea," she shrugged. "My mom and I cook together a lot…we did…"

Heidi nodded. "You will again."

"I hope so."

"While you're here though, you should get used to Jackie. She's a great cook and she'd be happy to make you anything you ask for." Heidi glanced around the kitchen as though looking for the cook. "Peter just raves about her cob salad. He asks for it every time he comes over. Maybe you'd like that…"

"No thanks," Claire answered quickly—perhaps too quickly.

"Umm, okay…"

"I don't like cob salad," she corrected her over-eager response. "I'd just rather have something else."

"Of course sweetheart," Heidi smiled kindly. "Anything you want."

"Maybe just a sandwich for now," Claire decided. "I can make it, of course."

"All right," Heidi continued to smile and took a step backwards out of the kitchen. "I assume you can find the fixings on your own. If you need anything else, anything at all, just let me know."

Claire nodded and moved to the fridge. Once Heidi had left, Claire changed her mind about the food. She realized she wasn't hungry, or if she was, she didn't think she'd be able to eat. Her eyes burned, wanting tears, and her head ached. All she wanted was to be with Peter. He was the one she always turned to for comfort, but that was ruined for her forever. Unable to consider the degree of her pain, she grabbed a bag of cookies from the pantry and ran up to her room to hide from any questions Nathan or Heidi might confront her with.

Once alone in her room, all she could think about was Peter. Tears came quickly and intensely. In order to take her mind off of her problems, she called Jaden.

"_Hey baby, what's up?" _

"Jaden…" She sniffed, trying to keep herself under control.

"_Is something wrong?" _

"I just…umm…I just wanted to talk to you…" She snuggled down beneath the duvet on the bed. "Actually, I'd really like to see you. Are you busy tonight?"

"_Umm…"_

She waited for a minute and then spoke up when he was still quiet. "Jaden? If you're busy, it's fine…I just…I don't really feel like being alone and…"

"_I'm surprised you're not busy with your uncle." _

Her tears returned in full force.

"_Claire, what's wrong?" _

"I'm not staying with Peter anymore," she told him. "I'm at my dad's house. Things with Peter just got a little…complicated. I'm not exactly speaking to him right now actually."

"_Oh?"_

"Are you sure you can't go out tonight? I'd really rather not be alone."

"_Of course I can go out baby,_" Jaden responded quickly. _"I could be there as soon as you want me."_

"Really? Well, whenever you want to come…"

The line went dead and she looked at the phone curiously. She only had a brief minute to consider what had happened though before she heard the bell of the front door ringing. She knew in an instant who it was and hurried out of her room and down the stairs to beat the maid to the door.

"You said to come as soon as I could." Jaden stood at the door smiling broadly.

"Jaden…" Claire threw herself into his arms eagerly and let him hold her tightly for almost a full minute before saying anything.

"Claire…"

She finally pulled away from him when she heard Nathan speak in the doorway behind her.

"Umm, Nathan, this is my boyfriend Jaden," she introduced.

"Good to meet you," Nathan held out his hand and Jaden shook it.

"You too Sir."

"You look a little out of breath, son…"

"Oh, yea, I ran here…" Jaden told him.

Claire smiled and took his hand. "We'll be up in my room, if you need anything."

"In your room?" Nathan hesitated as she pushed past him with Jaden in toe.

"Yea, we'll be in my room," she repeated and moved more quickly.

"Are you sure your dad's okay with me being here?" Jaden asked when they had reached her bedroom and she had shut the door.

"It doesn't really matter," Claire told him. "We're still working on the whole father-daughter relationship thing."

"So, you said you wanted to talk."

"Yea…" Claire hesitated. Now that he was actually there, she had no idea what to say. She had felt the need to be with him, or at least to not be alone, but she didn't know why. She couldn't quite admit the truth to herself, but the truth was, she wanted to be with Peter, not with Jaden. Tear welled up in her eyes and she dropped onto her bed. Jaden stood beside it, uncertain about what to do until she reached for his hand. "Can you just hold me?"

"Hold you?" He repeated.

"Please," she gripped his hand tighter. "I just want to be held."

Jaden still seemed confused, but he sat on the bed and let her curl up in his arms. "Like this?"

"It shouldn't be that hard for you to hold me," she told him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he responded quickly. "Nothing's wrong. I just…" he adjusted his arms around her slightly. "The last time we were alone together, you pushed me away."

"I didn't push you away from holding me, I pushed you away from…" she stopped. "From whatever else we might have done."

"I just wish you'd tell me what was going on inside that head of yours. I never know quite what to say or how to act around you."

"I'm sorry…" She was surprised by his sudden outburst and pulled away from him. "Maybe I shouldn't have called you."

"No, Claire," he shook his head. "Don't be like that. Of course you should have called me. I'm your boyfriend, aren't I?" He put his arms around her again and pulled her close. "You're supposed to call your boyfriend when you're upset."

"I guess so," Claire sighed, but couldn't let herself fully relax.

"Baby, tell me what's bothering you," he pleaded. "Tell me what happened. Why are you here and not with Peter?"

"I don't want to talk about that," she told him quickly.

"Isn't that why you called me? On the phone you sounded very upset and you told me something happened between you and your uncle, so I just assumed that something bad…"

"You don't understand."

"Of course I don't understand! You won't tell me anything."

"Jaden, I'm sorry." Claire covered her face with her hands, again fighting tears. "It's just so complicated, and I feel so confused about everything…I don't know what to say right now. I don't know what to tell you."

"The truth might be a good place to start."

"I can't Jaden. Not right now. Can't we just sit here together, without talking?"

"Yea, sure we can." He was quiet for a minute and then tried again. "But if you feel like talking in a little while…"

"Jaden…"

"I know, I'm sorry. We'll just sit quietly."

PETER PETRELLI

NEW YORK

_Notepad…_Peter scrambled around his apartment trying to locate something to write on. _Where is it?_ He cursed loudly after a moment of searching. Ever since Claire had lived with him, she had been progressively rearranging all his little items to her preferences, so now that she was gone he knew were almost nothing was. He hadn't realized how much he relied on her presence. Finally he found a miscellaneous notepad in the drawer of the small table by the door. Fortunately he found a pen there as well and hastily started to write.

For almost ten minutes he write constantly, scribbling down everything he could pull out of his mind from his brief visit to the future. He knew it was important to document everything he could recall, though he couldn't necessarily explain why. It just seemed urgent, and crucial. When he had fully stretched his mind and written everything he could force himself to remember, he had filled nearly three pages, and yet he still felt there were things missing.

"None of it makes sense," he complained out loud. He scanned the pages, briefly re-reading all the information, and then threw down the pad in frustration. He knew it was insufficient to figure out the insane future he had landed in. Everything had been so wrong there, he didn't know how a couple of pages of written information would help him straighten everything out. All he knew was that he had to do something. The future he ha been in was not the one he wanted for himself, or for Claire. "Claire…"

His eyes moistened automatically as his mind turned to Claire. With all that had happened in his jump to the future, he had almost let himself forget about his present situation—his problem with Claire. Again he started cursing himself, blaming himself for running her out. He wondered where she had gone, and if she was safe. He hated that he had forced her away from him.

"I'm supposed to keep her safe," he sighed and shook his head. "I have to know she's safe."

He thought of the likely place for her to run; he could think of only a couple in New York. Knowing that time was important, he decided to exercise his abilities. First he focused on his invisibility, and then moved out onto his balcony and pulled his brother into his mind. He hadn't quite mastered using more than one power at once yet, but Claire believed in him, and he wouldn't let her down. Focusing hard, he held onto his invisibility as he shot into the air and soared high above the city.

_I'm doing it!_ He almost let himself relax, but he felt his height dropping, and focused harder to stay airborne and invisible, as he flew to Niki and D.L.'s apartment.

Over the past few weeks, Claire and Niki had started to develop a friendship. It started when Molly had moved in with them, and Claire would visit her frequently after school, often staying to visit with Niki as well. He figured that if Claire felt threatened she would go to someone she considered a friend. When he reached their apartment, he settled on the doorstep and looked around cautiously before returning to visibility. Then he knocked and waited anxiously.

The door opened slightly and Molly's bright, curious eyes peered up at him through the crack.

"Peter!" she grinned when she recognized him and threw the door open fully.

He smiled and let her jump up into his arms, squeezing him tightly around the neck with her little arms.

"I thought you'd forgotten all about me!"

"I know it's been a while, sweetheart," he patted her back endearingly and carried her across the threshold into the apartment. "Things have been a little crazy lately."

She pulled back to look into his face. "Are you okay?"

He nodded. "I'm fine. Just…well…it's complicated."

"Have you been having the dreams?" Now her brown eyes looked worried.

"No sweetheart," he smiled and stroked her hair softly. "I haven't. Not for a while."

"Good," her eyes cleared and she matched his smile. "That's good."

"Is anyone else here Molly?" He put her down and looked around the apartment, leaning slightly to see down the hallway.

"Yea!" She raced down the hallway, calling out, and returned a moment later with Micah and Niki in toe.

"Hi Peter," Niki greeted him warmly. "Haven't seen you in a while. How're things?"

He nodded. "Things are…" he shrugged. "You know."

"Yea," her smiled wavered slightly. "I know. How's Claire? Is she here with you?"

Peter's hopes fell. "No…she's…no…I actually was hoping…" He stopped and looked down at Molly who was staring at him intently. "No, she's not."

Niki seemed to instantly pick up on something more because she quickly dismissed the children to one of the other rooms so she and Peter could have "grown up talk" alone.

"What's wrong Peter?" She asked once they had their privacy. "Where's Claire?"

He shook his head. "I don't know."

"What do you mean? Is she okay?"

"I think so," he sighed. "I hope so."

"What happened?"

"We, uh, we had a fight, sort of," he explained carefully. He knew he couldn't tell Niki the truth, no matter how well-meaning she was. She would never understand. Nobody could know the truth—ever.

"A fight?" She repeated. "You two? That's weird, isn't it? I thought you two were super close. I didn't know you could fight!"

"Yea, me either."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, not really," he shook his head. "It was sort of…well…yea…no. I just upset her and she ran out. I thought maybe she would have come here. I don't know where else…"

"Did you try Nathan's?" She suggested.

"No," Peter considered the likelihood of Claire running to her dad's place. "He hasn't exactly been offering her a homely atmosphere. I wasn't sure if she'd turn to him."

"Well, she hasn't even called me, and I don't know who else she'd go to, except her boyfriend. Do you know where he lives?"

"No," Peter almost growled. He hated to think that he had driven Claire to that man. His trip to the future jumped into his mind and he felt furious. "She doesn't even know where he lives though, I don't think. As far as I know, he's never invited her over."

"Oh, well, then I'm out of guesses," she shrugged. "Unless she went to Matt's, but it seems unlikely that she would have gone there and not come here."

"You're right," Peter sighed. "I'll try Nathan. Thanks anyway, Niki."

"Let me know when you find her, okay? You've got me worrying now."

"I'll call you as soon as I find out anything, I promise," he headed back to the door and turned to call to Molly. "Bye Molly!"

She came running out of the back room and flew into his arms for another hug. "Come back again soon, okay? And bring Claire. I miss her too."

"Okay," he patted her head "I will."

She released him and he stepped outside. On the doorstep, he checked his surroundings again and then turned invisible and flew upwards once again, this time heading speedily towards his brother's home.

When he arrived, he once again landed on the doorstep and relinquished his invisibility before knocking. After a moment, Heidi opened the door. She looked a little surprised to see him.

"She's here, isn't she?" Peter could read the expression on her face.

Heidi pursed her lips and didn't answer, so he pried into her mind swiftly.

_Oh, she is not going to be happy. This is not going to go well. _

"She is," he spoke again. "I know she is, I read your mind."

Heidi frowned. "Nathan didn't tell me you could do that."

"Sorry, I know I shouldn't have, but I need to see her Heidi."

She shook her head. "I don't know, Peter." Stepping aside, she motioned for him to enter. "Wait down here, and I'll ask her."

"Please, just let me go to her."

"No," she was firm. "Claire wouldn't appreciate it if you just barged in on them."

"Them?"

"She called her boyfriend this morning. They're upstairs now."

"Jaden's here? With her?" Peter felt his temper rising. "And you let them upstairs alone?"

Heidi smiled slightly. "She's a big girl Peter. And, she's not my daughter. I don't exactly have the authority to restrict her from making her own decisions."

"Then Nathan should have."

"I don't think he knew what to do. He's never had to deal with a situation like this before. The teenager thing is a little new for him, particularly a teenage girl!"

"Yea," Peter sighed. "Can you go up and tell her I'm here, please? It's really important for me to see her."

Heidi nodded and left him in the living room to wait while she went upstairs to Claire's room. A few moments later she returned, shaking her head.

"She doesn't want to see you," she told him. "She asked that you leave immediately."

Peter couldn't respond. He had expected it to be difficult, of course, but he at least hoped she would hear him out. Perhaps it was too early.

"I'm sorry Peter, but whatever happened between you two, she's very upset. You need to give her time."

He left respectfully, but out on the doorstep he once again became invisible and flew upwards, this time in search of the window for Claire's bedroom. He had no way of knowing which room she was staying in, but he was determined to search them all until he found it. Starting at the top story, he was lucky to find hers first, since she was staying in the guest bedroom there.

He hovered outside the window, peering in, just wanting to see her. And he did. He saw her sitting on the bed, curled up against Jaden's chest with his arms wrapped tightly around her. Peter hated seeing her there with him. He hated that he had driven her to it even more.

_Kill Jaden_.

Claire's words from the future came back to him and he felt his temper once again getting the better of him. He could not understand what her words had meant, but he was determined to carry out her orders, knowing it would inevitably give him a great amount of delight.

He watched for another moment until Jaden's lips started tickling Claire's neck and his hands started to become a little too familiar with her thigh. He wanted to kill him at that moment, but he didn't have a reason yet, and murder was not something Peter was quite yet ready to commit. Before he had too long to seethe, Claire herself stopped Jaden from any further unwelcome exploration. She pushed his hands off of her and moved a little away from him, but she held her hands out to him and let him kiss her.

Peter had seen enough to make his heart break and his mind sick, and so he left, hoping that Claire would indeed be able to take care of herself and keep her boyfriend at bay. He took one last look at her and floated back down to ground level, became visible, and chose to walk the twenty blocks back to his own apartment. He needed the fresh air to cool his mind and to organize his thoughts.

A few blocks down, he had almost convinced himself to turn around and run directly back to Claire and force her to talk to him, but he was distracted by a familiar face crossing the street ahead of him, and Claire was pushed from his mind. It took him a moment to figure out why he recognized the young woman. She had light brown hair, which was at the moment hanging down around her shoulders. When she reached the sidewalk, she paused and pulled her hair up away from her face. Her eyes were bright and so familiar—he couldn't look away. Suddenly she looked up and straight at him, but since he was still a little ways away from her, he couldn't imagine she was actually noticing him. It had to have been coincidence that their eyes met, and yet…the way she was staring made Peter feel a little uncomfortable. It was as if she were trying to read his mind. He decided to try and read hers, despite the difference. It would be one of the greater distances he had ever read a mind at before, and it would be especially difficult because of all the people pushing past him on the crowded sidewalk, but he knew he had to try.

Concentrating hard, he blocked out all the others around him and focused only on the girl at the end of the street. She was still staring at him. And when he started to push into her mind, she frowned.

_What does he want? Why is he looking at me?_ He had gotten in, but it was difficult to hold onto her thoughts when everyone else's were trying to invade his concentration. _Does he know me? He recognizes me. Why does he recognize me? _

He had to pull out. The concentration was too difficult and it was starting to hurt. She shook her head and turned away from him, suddenly moving more quickly in the other direction. Peter didn't lose a moment in following her. His instincts told him it was important to remember her face.

Three blocks down, she stopped walking, but didn't turn around. He had gotten closer now, and the sidewalks were less crowded, so he once again pushed into her mind, this time more easily.

_He's following me. Dammit. _

He saw her hands fiddling with the bag hanging on her shoulder.

_He could be dangerous. Maybe he's one of theirs and he's coming to take me…why didn't I let Ray walk with me? _

Suddenly it all clicked for Peter. He remembered exactly where he had seen her, and he understood why she didn't know him.

"Sarah!" He called out now, perhaps a little carelessly, but he couldn't lose her.

She turned in shock and stared at him with wide eyes.

"Sarah, wait!" He ran towards her, and she started backing up. Her hand had slipped into her bag and he assumed she was going for a weapon of some sort.

"Do I know you?" She asked cautiously.

"No, you don't," he slowed a he approached her, hoping she wouldn't react against him. "But I know you. It's difficult to explain, and you probably won't believe me, but you have to trust me. I know you can sense my emotions…"

Her mouth dropped slightly.

"Please, sense them now, know that I'm not a threat to you."

He watched her concentrate for a moment and knew she was reading him. When she had finished, she was frowning again.

"Why do you know me?"

"I can travel time, and I jumped to the future and you were there."

Her eyes stretched wide.

"I know it sounds absurd, but you have to…"

"I believe you," she cut him off.

"You do?"

"I know someone else who can travel time, but I didn't realize there were any more like him," she explained.

"Well, I'm probably not exactly like him, but…" he paused. "Do you know Hiro?"

She nodded slowly. "Yes, you too?"

"That's why I have his ability. I absorb others' powers."

She gasped. "You're him!"

"Who?"

Now she was smiling. "We've been waiting for you!"

"What? Who's we?"

"You are Peter, aren't you? Peter Petrelli."

He nodded. "I am."

"Claude told us all about you."

"Oh," he shook his head. "You work with Claude. Of course. I should have known." He sighed. "Take me to him."


	57. Juggling Molly

_A/N: This one's not that long, but there is some info revealed that I hope excites you all! I'm trying to get it going faster, but I'm running into some irritating brick walls with my writing. Hopefully my muse will whisper some inspiring thoughts into my head this weekend! Thanks for sticking with me. _

NIKI, DL, MICAH, and MOLLY

NEW YORK

"Baby? Are you home?" DL made his way through the small apartment until he reached the back bedroom that he shared with his wife. He stepped in and looked around, but not seeing her there, he moved on into their master bathroom. "Niki?"

"Hi!" She turned from the mirror quickly as he entered. "You're home."

"Yea, I was calling for you, but you didn't answer."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't hear you," she hugged him and kissed his cheek.

"Is everything okay?" He looked around the bathroom anxiously.

"Yea, absolutely," she put a hand on his cheek and shook her head. "Don't look so worried all the time."

He smiled a little and nodded. "Where are the kids?"

"They were supposed to be doing their homework," Niki told him. "Aren't they in the kitchen?"

"I didn't see them."

Niki and DL walked back out into the living room and then peered into the kitchen in search of the kids, and when they still couldn't find them they went into Micah's room, where they found the two of them huddled around his laptop computer.

"What're you two up to?" DL came around behind them and gazed at the screen.

"Working on school stuff," Molly answered.

"School stuff huh?" DL frowned. "You have a school assignment that requires you to access government information?"

"Government information?" Niki rushed to her husband's side and peered over his shoulder at the screen of the laptop. "What are you two doing?"

Molly cowered away quickly, but Micah looked up quite calmly. "I'm just testing my abilities."

"Testing your abilities?" Niki repeated loudly. "I thought we had discussed this. You two are not allowed to practice without supervision, or at least permission."

"Yes ma'am," Molly spoke meekly.

"But you'll never give us permission!" Micah whined. "We've asked before."

"That doesn't mean you can go behind our backs…"

"Niki," DL stopped her calmly. "Let the kids have their fun. It's good for them to know how much they can do. It might be useful someday."

DL was too busy watching over the kids' shoulders to notice his wife's vicious glare in his direction.

"Can I talk to you in the other room, please?" Niki motioned for her husband to follow her out into the hallway.

"You kids keep on playing, but don't dig too far. I don't want to feds to catch on to anything you're doing," DL grinned and ruffled his son's hair before following Niki out of the room. "What's up?"

"What's up?" She was still glaring. "What's up is, I don't appreciate having my authority undermined in front of the kids."

"Undermined?" DL laughed.

"I'm not joking, DL."

He analyzed her expression for a minute and started to feel a little uncomfortable by the seriousness in her face. "Babe, come on…"

"No," she snapped. Suddenly she blinked and shook her head as though trying to clear herself from a fog. "I'm sorry…I…I have a headache…"

"A headache? Niki, what the hell just happened?" DL stopped her as she tried to escape to their bedroom.

"What?" she didn't turn to him. "Nothing. I just have a headache. I think I should lie down for a minute."

"Niki…" he held onto her tightly.

"Let go of me."

"Not until you explain yourself."

Without answering, Niki spun around, grabbed DL's arm and forced him to release her, purely by strength. He took a few steps back and stared at her in shock.

"I told you to let me go."

"We need to talk."

"Not now…"

"Jessica."

Niki shook her head. "It's me DL. Don't worry."

"You aren't acting like yourself though. You're acting like her…"

"I know," she covered her face with her hands and began to cry.

DL led her into their bedroom and shut the door to block the sound from the kids. "Talk to me, babe. Tell me what's going on." When Niki couldn't stop crying, he sat down on the bed and pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly as she cried. "She's coming back, isn't she?"

When Niki had gotten her crying under control, she nodded. "She's been coming back for a while, but I've been trying to ignore her. There's just so much going on, I didn't want Jessica to become a problem."

"But she is a problem. And if she's back, she's not just your problem. We all have to deal with her."

"No, if I ignore her, she'll go away…"

"You know it's not that easy, Niki," DL insisted. "We have to take measures to prevent her from coming back. We can't risk it. Not after everything she made you do last time."

"I know! Especially now with the kids, with Molly…" she sighed. "Claire brought her here to be safe. If Jessica comes back, it won't be safe for Molly. Maybe it isn't already."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I don't think Molly should stay here any more," she stood, suddenly decisive. "I'm going to call Claire."

"And then what?"

"I don't know. We'll have to deal with things as they come up, but I want to make sure that Molly's safe, first."

"Okay," DL stood to leave. "And what should I tell them about the blow-up you just had in the room?"

Niki shrugged. "I don't trust our abilities DL. Not just mine. I don't understand where they come from, or why we have them. And even though yours and Micah's seem innocent, they could become dangerous quickly. Look at Molly! Her ability is torturing her. I don't want the kids to be messing around like that. Not when it could be dangerous."

DL nodded, trying to understand. "I'll talk to them."

"Thank you," Niki smiled.

"I love you babe, you know that right?"

"I know."

"No matter what happens, we're in this together."

MATT & JANICE

NEW YORK

"You're sure about this?" Matt clarified. "I mean, absolutely positive?"

"Even if I'm not, isn't it a little too late now?" Janice smiled. "Matt, calm down. When I agreed to this, I knew what I was doing. I'm not going to change my mind."

"You know how much I appreciate it, right?"

"I do," she accepted the kiss he gave her. "Besides, I think it could be a good idea. You know, it will give me a taste of what's coming for me—motherhood and all that."

The doorbell rang and Matt jumped up to answer it, leaving Janice to waddle a little more slowly behind him. He pulled the door open and revealed Claire and Molly standing on the doorstep.

"Hi girls," Janice greeted them as her husband stepped aside and motioned them in. "It's good to see you both again."

"You too Janice," Claire quickly gave the older woman a hug, having to keep some distance because of her very pregnant stomach. "It looks like you're about ready!"

"You'd think so, wouldn't you? But I still have a couple more months." Janice looked around Claire at Molly. "Are you girls hungry? Or thirsty? I think I have some juice or lemonade…"

"Something to drink would be great," Claire answered and looked at Molly who nodded in agreement. "How about lemonade." Again Molly nodded and Janice went to retrieve to glasses for the girls.

"Here, take a seat," Matt indicated the couch and the two girls sat down obediently. It was obvious that without discussing serious matters, he didn't have much else to say.

Janice returned and handed a glass of lemonade to both the girls before sitting down beside her husband on the opposite couch.

"Thank you so much for taking Molly," Claire smiled at both of them, though she was mostly speaking to Janice. Niki had mentioned that she had been hesitant about the idea. "It won't be forever, but until we can figure out what's going on with Niki…" she stopped when she felt Molly's hand slip into her own. "Thank you." She said simply, and scooted closer to the girl. She didn't want to upset her any more than she inevitably already was. The poor thing had been transferred from house to house, never finding a place where she belonged.

"We're pleased to have her with us," Janice assured her.

"I've been wanting to spend some more time with Molly," Matt grinned. "Her living here will make it easier. Though I have to admit I'm curious…why isn't she going to be staying with you and Peter? I had thought that when she was done at Niki's she would go back to you two."

"I'm not living with Peter anymore," Claire told him quickly. "I've moved in with my dad, with Nathan. And even though I'd love to have Molly with me, I think there are enough kids in the Petrelli home for now. And obviously Peter would never be able to take care of her by himself…" her throat fell dry just thinking about Peter, so she stopped talking.

"You're not living with him now?" Matt repeated.

She shook her head, and avoided eye contact with him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know…" Matt focused on Claire, briefly debating whether or not he should invade her mind. He desperately wanted to know why she and Peter were no longer roommates, but he felt rude jumping into her thoughts without permission.

Claire looked at him and took note of his serious expression. She shook her head. "We had a fight Matt. It's personal though, and I'd rather you not pry."

His eyes widened, surprised that she had realized what he was thinking, but then he remembered that she had lived with Peter for a long time and he had undoubtedly tried to get into her head on more than one occasion.

"Sorry."

"It's okay," she sighed. "Actually, I should go. I've got to get back to school…I skipped a class to take care of this."

"Do you need a ride?" Matt offered quickly.

"No," she refused, knowing that he would only want to press her for information again. "I'll get a cab."

"Are you sure?"

"Yea, you should be settling Molly in."

"Okay, then I guess we'll see you later?" Matt and Janice both stood to walk Claire to the door.

"Please don't be a stranger, Claire," Janice encouraged. "I'm sure Molly will want you to visit. I know I could do with your company a little more."

"Thanks," Claire gave her another distant hug. "I'll try to visit as often as possible."

Molly hadn't released her hand yet, and she didn't seem interested in doing so. Claire knelt to her level and brought her little hand up to her lips for a kiss.

"Sweetheart, if you need anything, you know you can call me anytime. Right?"

Molly nodded.

"I'm so sorry things didn't work out with Niki…I know you enjoyed living there…"

"I want to live with you and Peter again."

"I know," Claire pulled her into a hug. "I wish you could. I wish we could all be together, but it's impossible right now. As soon as things get settled though, I promise you can come back and stay with me again."

"Promise?"

"I promise," Claire kissed the top of her head and left.

"Well then," Matt shut the door behind Claire as she exited and turned back to Molly with a welcoming smile. "We don't have much space here, but until the baby's born you'll have a room all to yourself." He started leading the way down the hall towards the room that would be used as the nursery. "We didn't have much notice, so it isn't fixed up very well for you yet, but just give us time…"

"It's not important," Molly interrupted. "Trust me. I've been sleeping on the couch at Niki's, and I was sharing a bed with Claire when we lived with Peter. I'm used to not having a room of my own."

Janice couldn't help feeling her heart break for the young girl. She imagined everything that Molly must be feeling after all that had happened in the past year. First the death of her parents, and then almost her own death, and now being shuffled from place to place without anyone to belong to.

"Don't worry sweetheart, you'll have a bed here," Janice assured her. "We'll take care of it first thing tomorrow."

"I don't want you to go through any trouble for me…"

"It won't be any trouble," Janice told her. "For tonight though, I'm afraid the sleeping bag will have to do."

"The sleeping bag's good," Molly smiled. "Umm…where's the bathroom?"

"The door just before the kitchen," Matt pointed and Molly headed that way.

When they were alone, Matt lowered his voice to a whisper so only his wife could hear him. "You're okay with this right? I mean seriously. You're okay with her being here?"

Janice nodded. "It will be like preparation for my own child."

"You're amazing," he kissed her quickly. "You really are. The best wife ever. And you know, maybe if things go well with Molly she can stay around for a while with us and the baby…I mean she doesn't have anyone else…"

"I know," Janice smiled. "It might be nice to have her around. She could be like a big sister to our baby…maybe. We'll see how things go."

SYLAR & EMILY

NEW YORK

"I have great news!"

Emily didn't look up from the book she was reading on the couch.

"Emily, did you hear me?" Sylar knelt beside the couch and covered her book with his hand. "I said I have great news!"

"I heard," she tugged the book away from him and tried to continue reading.

"Well?"

"Well what?" She looked up at him finally. "We've been looking for my daughter for two weeks, and almost every day you've come running in here with some great news—a lead, or a possibility…" she sighed. "And yet, we haven't found anything! I'm no closer to knowing who my daughter is now than I was two weeks ago."

Sylar's enthusiasm faltered for a moment, but he shook it off quickly. "I talked to a nun today from a church in California."

"And?"

"She remembers a young girl almost eleven years ago who brought a baby to her for assistance."

"She does?" Emily's book dropped from her hands and she sat up intently.

"She remembers me? Do you think it's me?" She grabbed his hands anxiously. "Do you think I am the girl she remembers?"

"Well, it would be a little ironic if there was another girl at the same time."

Emily smiled and put her arms around his neck. "Thank you Gabriel! Thank you!"

"Emily, we haven't found her yet…"

"I know, but it's a start. It's the first one we've had yet! Did the nun tell you how to find my daughter?"

"She gave me the address of the family that your daughter was adopted by, but that was a long time ago, and there's no guarantee that they haven't moved since then," Sylar told her.

"An address?" Emily squealed. "That's brilliant!"

"Emily, have you thought this through?"

"Thought what through?"

"What's going to happen if you do find your daughter?" He asked. "You said before you do not intend to raise her, to take her away from the family that has given her a home, so what is it that you intend to do?"

Emily was silent for a moment. "I have to know that she's all right. I've spent the past ten years thinking of her, and what has happened to her," she bit her lip, refusing to cry. "I have to know."

"And you will," he assured her.

Her tears started to fall and he held her close.

"Gabriel," she spoke quietly.

"Yea?"

"I'm ready."

"Ready for what?"

"I'm ready to start to trust you again," she explained.

"In what way?" He was too afraid to hope for too much.

"I've put you through a lot since you told me the truth about you, but I never stopped loving you, despite it all," she explained. "And I knew that it would just be a matter of time before I was ready to forgive you."

"You're going to forgive me?" He grasped her hand tightly. "Emily, are you sure?"

She smiled. "Don't be difficult."

"Can I kiss you?"

"You're asking permission?"

"I thought it would be the safest…" he hesitated.

Instead of answering, Emily leaned forward and pressed her lips against his. He returned the kiss deeply and when they pulled away, both were smiling.

"Now, let's find your daughter," Sylar stood and pulled Emily to her feet.

"Do you think we really will?" Her eyes glistened with hopeful tears. "Is it really going to happen?"

"I think there's only one way to find out," he pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. "This is the address I was given. The family's name is Walker."


	58. Past and Future

CLAUDE & ASSOCIATES

NEW YORK

Sarah led Peter a few more blocks to an apartment complex and then up to the third floor and down the long hallway to a door. She knocked quickly twice and then three times slower and then rapped her nails against the door. He assumed it was some kind of code. A moment passed and then Peter heard the door being unlocked from the inside and then it opened a crack. An eye peeked out and then the door opened completely and a young woman with silky auburn hair stood in the doorway to greet them.

"Who is this?" She smiled wide, flashing white teeth that would make a dentist envious.

"Cool it Rosalie, this one's not for you," Sarah pushed past the other girl and motioned for Peter to follow her into the apartment. "Is Claude here?" she asked Rosalie.

"Yea, he's in the bedroom on the phone," Rosalie kept her eyes glued to Peter.

"I need him," Sarah frowned. "Wait here," she told Peter. "If he's in the middle of…"

"No," Peter cut her off. "I'll go. He'll want to see me."

"I don't know if that's a good idea…"

"Trust me," Peter headed straight to the bedroom and pushed the door open without knocking. "Heard you were looking for me."

Claude turned around. His lips curled up in a slight smile and he held up his hand to motion to Peter to wait. Claude turned around and continued his phone conversation in a quieter voice, but Peter moved forward to listen.

"I know it's not your usual stuff Hana, but it's important," Claude was saying.

Peter wondered who Hana was.

"Just a few more days—a week at most. Just until I'm sure that…" he suddenly glanced over his shoulder towards Peter. "I've got to go. Call me tomorrow." He hung up and smiled at Peter. "You're here."

"Who's Hana?"

"My sister," he laughed. "What's it to you?"

"Your sister? Really?"

"No mate, I haven't got a sister." Claude crossed his arms and stared hard at Peter for a minute.

"Reading minds is my job Claude," Peter interrupted his concentration. "So what do you want from me exactly?"

"What brought you here?"

"Actually it was a who," Peter corrected him. "A girl called Sarah."

"Really? Didn't know she had it in her."

"I recognized her."

"You did?" He sounded very surprised and once again concentrated hard as though he wanted to read Peter's thoughts.

"From the future."

"Oh," Claude's slight smile, which he had been wearing since he had first seen Peter, suddenly vanished. "I'm betting that wasn't a future where we were all living our happily ever after…"

"Not exactly," Peter crossed his arms, now mirroring Claude's stance. "It was more the kind of future where good people were being captured and tortured, and bad people were living a bit too comfortably for my taste."

"So you came to me?"

"In this future, Sarah was one of the good guys that was living like a fugitive. She knew me then, or at least she did, before I died."

"I see. So, what exactly do you want me to do?" Claude now played the part of the confused and helpless one, giving Peter a sense of control.

"You're going to help me change it."

"I'm a little surprised you came to me mate."

"Yea?"

"Yea," he crossed the room towards the window, turning his back to Peter. "Last time the world was facing badness I wasn't exactly there for you."

"I remember," Peter assured him. "I figured it was about time you made up for the past. Besides, you came to me first, so I figure you had a plan of your own."

"It just so happens that I do," he turned around again and was once again grinning.

"Good, then what are we waiting for? Let's save the damn world…again."

MOHINDER & SASHA

TURRIN, ITALY

"He's okay though right?" Mohinder spoke quickly into the phone, feeling his heart begin to race as he considered the problems that his girlfriend had been facing without him there to offer support. "I mean, everything has returned to normal…or at least as normal as can be expected with him?"

"_For now." _

"Maddie, I'm so sorry this has happened, but I really do not know how to help."

"_I just wish you were here." _

"Me too, sweetheart," Mohinder glanced over his shoulder towards Sasha who was making her own phone call a few yards away. "If I could leave right now I would, but I am not in control of our locations. You know that."

"_That doesn't mean that I can't whine and complain while I miss you…" _

"Which I adore you for," Mohinder assured her. "But your brother…he's really okay right?"

"_I don't know. I'm not the doctor."_ She was quiet for a moment and then let out a sigh. _"Where's your drill sergeant?" _

"Very funny," he checked on her again and saw she hadn't finished her phone call yet. "She's talking to someone too."

"_Boyfriend?" _

"Supposedly," Mohinder was still watching her. She seemed upset. "I've heard her mention one before, but she keeps her private life very closed to me."

"_Mohinder, you haven't told Sasha about my ability, have you?" _

"No, of course not! You asked me not to, and I promised I wouldn't. You know I would never lie to you."

"_Okay…" _

"What's wrong Maddie?"

"_Nothing. You have enough to worry about." _

Mohinder wasn't convinced, but he didn't have time to press his girlfriend anymore because Sasha had ended her phone call and was now approaching him with a very serious expression on her face, which he knew meant it was time for business. He told Madeline goodbye and hung up quickly, turning to greet Sasha.

"What's up?"

"The usual," Sasha told him. She wasn't smiling, and Mohinder had a sneaking suspicion she wasn't thrilled to be going on a new assignment at this time. Even though they had agreed to keep their personal lives off limits, he took a chance to decipher her mood.

"Is there something wrong? I mean, your phone call…was it bad news?"

She lifted an eyebrow at him and pursed her lips. "I thought we agreed not to talk about our relationships."

"I wasn't aware you were talking to your boyfriend," he told her innocently, though truthfully he had suspected as much. "I'm sorry I pried. It won't happen again."

She started to speak, and then shut her mouth quickly and turned away from him. When she turned back she was smiling. "How about we break our rule for five minutes?"

"Five minutes?"

"Yes, five minutes and you can ask me whatever I want and I'll answer, and the same goes for me to you."

"I don't know…" Mohinder didn't know what she would ask, but he was certain he wouldn't want to give her any answers concerning Madeline.

"Fine, forget it," she sighed. "You were just showing an interest. It was kind of nice to be honest, but it's not important. Come on, we have an assignment." She started walking away. It took Mohinder to follow her. "Come on!" She repeated more urgently.

He followed slowly, still debating whether or not he wanted to talk to her honestly, but Madeline's secrets meant too much to him, and he did not trust Sasha on any level. "Where to this time?"

"New York actually," Sasha spoke without turning around.

Mohinder sped up to speak to her. "New York? Really? Not Ghana or Iceland or somewhere crazy…"

"Nope," she paused and turned around. "We're going to New York." Analyzing his expression for a moment she shook her head. "Don't even think about it."

"What?"

"This is a business trip," she told him. "Not a personal vacation. If I were you, I wouldn't even tell her you were coming."

"What? Who?"

"Molly. I know you've missed her, and I'm sure she would love to see you, but there just really won't be any time."

Mohinder nodded. "I understand. It's probably better that I don't tell her. She wouldn't let me leave again without a fight. Besides, Claire's taking care of her…I think. I haven't talked to them in a while actually. It would be nice if I could check in with them…"

"No," she shook her head. "Absolutely not. We don't have time for personal distractions of any kind. We go in and get our job done and then we leave. That's it."

"Why are you being so intense about this? Who's in New York that you have to ignore?"

"Never mind," she sighed. "It's not important."

Mohinder frowned. "Come on Sasha. I really am interested. I want to know what's bothering you."

She shook her head. "It's personal. And we don't do personal."

CLAIRE

SCHOOL, NEW YORK

"I am so excited for prom, I can't even describe it!"

Claire indulged her friend's chatter as they dressed for cheer practice in the locker room after school on Friday. Jenny had been talking of nothing except prom ever since she had been asked by one of the hottest seniors on the football team. As a junior, Claire wasn't going to be a part of prom.

"It's going to be great," Claire agreed for her sake. "I'm happy for you!"

"You know, you could go too," Jenny told her; she had been telling her repeatedly for the past week.

"Jenny, I don't really want to…it would be weird going with someone other than Jaden," Claire reminded her, again.

"But it wouldn't really be like a date," Jenny persisted. "There are a dozen guys who would love to have the honor of taking you to prom!"

"Is she trying to get you to go to the prom, again?"

Violet, who was also on the cheer squad, jumped into the conversation as she started pulling her clothes from her own locker. She was also a junior, and like Claire, not a part of prom.

"She's persistent," Claire laughed.

"This goes for you too Vi," Jenny turned to Violet eagerly. "You can both easily get dates! Seriously."

"Well, I'm not dating anyone, so I am totally interested."

"Good! One down," Jenny finished dressing and turned her full attention to Claire. "Will you at least ask Jaden if he minds? If he doesn't, then we could have a lot of fun together. We'll all share a limo!"

"I'll ask him," Claire promised, mainly with the motivation of simply ending the conversation. "But really, I'm not sure I want to go, even if Jaden's okay with it."

"What?" Jenny and Violet both spoke up now.

"Everyone wants to go to prom!" Jenny insisted.

"There is a lot going on in my life right now," Claire mumbled. "Prom is just one more thing to add to my list, and it's not something that I really want to stress about right now." Her cell phone rang and she answered it quickly without checking the ID. "Hello!"

"_Claire! Please don't hang up on me!" _

"Peter…" Claire turned away from the girls automatically and lowered her voice. "Stop calling me."

"_I can't! Claire, please, you have to talk to me!" _

"No," she took a few steps away from the girls. "I'm not ready to talk to you yet. Please leave me alone."

"_I'm sorry…I never meant to…" _

She hung up quickly and took a few breaths to steady herself before returning to her friends. They were staring at her curiously.

"Peter? Another boyfriend?" Jenny grinned.

"No!" Claire answered very quickly. "Umm, that was my uncle."

"Right, Peter Petrelli," Violet nodded. "I saw him on TV during the whole campaign thing. He is so hot!"

"Yea he is," Jenny agreed. "You're so lucky."

"Lucky?" Claire frowned. "Because my uncle's hot?"

"Yea, my uncle's fat and partially bald."

"But he's my uncle."

"That doesn't mean you can't appreciate how gorgeous he is. Come on, can you honestly tell me you've never thought about it?"

"No, I…I haven't…"

"Liar," the girls laughed and headed out to the field for practice.

Claire took a minute to follow them. She stared at the cell phone still in her hand, unable to stop thinking about Peter. It had been almost three weeks since she had left his apartment that night. Since then he had called her at least once a day, sometimes more. The first three days he didn't call her at all, which she attributed to the day she refused to see him when he came to visit at Nathan's. At first, she thought he had taken the hint, but then after the third day, he started calling continually. Sometimes he left messages, telling her that he was sorry and wasn't going to give up until she gave him a chance to explain himself. One day she would answer his calls, she decided, but not yet. She wasn't ready.

SYLAR & EMILY

LOS ANGELES

"Are you sure this is the address?" Emily rolled down the car window of the passenger side where she was sitting.

Sylar slowed the car to a stop and parked next to the curb, across the street from the house they had been searching for. He opened his door and climbed out of the car to take a better look at the house.

"Gabriel," Emily climbed out of the car as well and looked at the house. "Is this it?"

He didn't respond.

"Gabriel?" She looked to him now. "What's wrong? This isn't it, is it? This is wrong? You got the address wrong or drove to the wrong place…"

"No, this is it."

"Are you sure?" She started to smile. "I'm sorry to doubt…I'm just so excited…I can't help wondering if this really might be the house where my daughter is…just inside…"

"Emily…" he came around the car and stood in front of her. He hung his head, unable to look into her eyes. "I'm so sorry."

"For what?" She was still smiling. "You've been amazing! You tracked down my daughter and now you've brought me to her door…or at least I hope…"

"She won't be here Emily," Sylar told her solemnly.

"How do you know?" She laughed a little. "You can't know that…"

He turned away from her and stared at the house for a moment. "I've been here before."

"What? How? When?" Emily shook her head. "Gabriel, what are you talking about?"

"You know who I am Emily," he knelt down on the ground suddenly, and put his head to her stomach hopelessly. "I told you about the bad things I've done…the people I've hurt…"

"I know," she placed her hands on his head and ran her fingers through his hair soothingly. "I know everything, but we've moved past that, haven't we?"

"I wish it was that easy," he took a deep breath. "But my past isn't going to forgive me that easily."

"Gabriel, please tell me what you're talking about," she lifted her chin. "You're scaring me."

"About a year ago my search for people with powers brought me to this house. I killed a husband and wife and took their abilities," he told her.

"Oh god…Gabriel…"

"They had a daughter. I wanted her ability more than either of them. They were just in my way really…"

"Their daughter?" Emily's voice broke and she started to cry. She pulled her hands away from Sylar and took a step back, unable to comfort him any longer. "You killed her…"

"No!" He stood suddenly. "I didn't get to the girl."

"You didn't?" She looked at him hopefully.

"But not for lack of trying," he sighed. "I'm so sorry."

"Are you sure it's her?"

"I'm pretty sure. Fate has a funny way of bringing your painful past back to haunt you." He shook his head and briefly covered his face with his hands. "Emily, your daughter's name is Molly."


	59. Discussions with Peter and Claire

PETER

PETER

HIS APARTMENT, NEW YORK

"I know I've already called today, but I thought that I'd just try again…" Peter paused, wondering if there was anything he could say to Claire that he hadn't said yet that might make her listen to him for once. "Well, here I am trying again…Claire…please call me back sometime. Please." He let out a sigh and hung up the phone.

A knock on his door distracted him before he had a chance to sink too far into his depression over yet another rejection from Claire. He opened the door without checking the visitor's identity and was a little surprised to find Sarah standing there with a smile.

"Sarah…hey…"

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything. I probably should have called before just stopping by like this…" she still lingered in the hallway, looking a little uncertain. "I'm sorry…you're totally confused right now…I should go maybe…"

"No, it's fine," he stepped aside and invited her into his apartment with a slight nod of the head.

"Thanks," she stepped in, but stayed close to the door with her arms crossed over her chest. Her bright brown eyes scanned the front room, not making contact with Peter. "I'm sorry," she said again. "I didn't mean to barge in on you. I mean, you barely know me at all, but I just needed to see you…"

"It's really fine," he shut the door and walked further into the room, expecting her to follow him. When she didn't, he turned around and faced her bluntly with his hands on his hips. "Look Sarah, I don't mean to be rude, but what exactly are you doing here?"

"Earlier when you came with me to see Claude, I could feel your pain."

"My pain?" He shook his head, no longer willing to hide his frustration. "Look Sarah, this really isn't any of your business. So if you've come over here just to be a friend, give me a shoulder, and all that, you might as well leave now."

She stared at him for a moment. Her dark eyes were penetrating and made Peter a little uncomfortable, but he didn't look away. Clicking her tongue piercing against her teeth she shrugged and smiled.

"You're good at being the strong, lone ranger type," she told him. "It's charming, really, but it's not going to help you win this fight that's coming."

"Lone ranger?" Peter scoffed and finally broke eye contact with her. He headed to the kitchen and took a beer from the fridge.

"Drinking alone?" Sarah had followed him.

"What? You want one?"

"If you're offering, sure," she smiled and took the beer from his hand.

He looked a little surprised for a moment, but then took another one from the fridge for himself. "Okay, so this pain that you're feeling in me…" he popped the top of his bottle and took a drink. "What's it feel like?"

"You know better than I do," she told him. "The only trouble is, I can tell that you're not dealing with it. It's completely consuming you, but you're pretending that it's not, which is only making it more dangerous."

"Now it's dangerous," he laughed a little.

"It can be."

He frowned at how serious her tone was. "Did Claude send you here to check up on me?"

"No. He doesn't know I'm here. Nobody does," she set down her beer after only a couple of sips. "I'm worried about you Peter."

"You don't even know me!" His mind flashed to the future that he had visited, when Sarah had seemed to know him so well and he let himself consider what sort of relationship they had had, or would have, before that future could exist. The way she had hugged him…it wasn't easy to forget. There was so much emotion and attachment in that single hung. It was the way he knew he would hug Claire if she gave him a chance to see her again—as if he would never let go. _Did Sarah and I have a relationship? Or are we going to? _The difference in time traveling was confusing his mind and so he tried to stop thinking about it.

"Claude told me that you've agreed to join our team."

"In theory," he agreed. "I'm willing to help protect the world, but don't expect to see me at a lot of group functions."

"Not a big joiner?"

"I haven't felt in the mood for people lately."

Sarah analyzed him for a minute and frowned. "No, you haven't. You've wanted to be alone…or with someone…just one person…that's the pain I'm feeling—loneliness and loss. You've lost someone that you can't get back…"

"Stop that," he snapped. "My feelings are private."

"I'm sorry, but it's my ability. I can't just stop it. Besides, your pain is a little hard to ignore."

Peter resented Sarah's invasiveness and he finally started to understand why Claire used to get so upset with him for reading her thoughts without permission. When Sarah started focusing on him again, he decided to use her ability against her. It had been a while since he had adopted a new power and he wasn't sure how quickly he'd be able to tap into it, but he was determined to try, if only to spite her. While she still focused on him, he started focusing on her, taking deep breaths and clearing his mind. He tried to push aside his own emotions so he could feel hers and after a minute he started feeling something new. It was a strange sensation, different than reading minds, mainly because he heard nothing, but also because it wasn't so much a sudden hearing, but it was rather like a sudden awareness. He felt what she was feeling as though there were waves emanating off of her.

"Who are you angry at?" Peter asked her.

"What?"

"You're very angry. I can feel it. You are angry enough to kill! What's happened to make you so angry?"

Sarah glared at him. "None of your damn business!"

"See, emotions are personal," Peter jabbed a finger in her direction.

"You took my power!"

"I did. It's my ability, and I can't stop it."

"Touché," she smiled slightly. "Okay, let's cut the crap and get down to it."

"Sounds good to me."

Peter walked over to the couch, this time with Sarah beside him, and they both took a seat. He continued drinking his beer, and she had retrieved hers before leaving the kitchen, so she now took a few sips as well before speaking.

"Claude thinks you're the answer to all our problems," she told him. "I think he sees you as some white knight or superhero or something."

"And you don't?"

"I don't know what I think. I don't know you, but I do know Claude. He has a good heart, and I know that he has a good mission, and I am devoted to it completely. If he believes that you are important to saving the world, then I have to believe you are too," she decided.

"Then why are you so hesitant to accept me?" She was taking so long to get to the point that Peter was tempted to read her thoughts, but decided to refrain and let her speak openly. He thought it might help build trust with her.

"Despite Claude's good intentions, I don't know if he's always right."

"You think he might be too trusting sometimes?"

"I don't know, maybe."

"How long have you known Claude?" Peter asked suddenly. "How did you meet and how did he recruit you to his cause?"

Sarah looked a little surprised by the sudden turn in conversation, but obliged Peter by answering his questions easily. "He found me at school. I'm currently working on my masters in psychology at NYU."

"Impressive," Peter commented.

"Thank you," she took the compliment happily. "I work part time as a high school guidance counselor. It might be considered cheating, but my ability helps me read people. There's another girl who works with us, her name's Julianne…"

"Yea, I met her."

"You did? When?"

"In the future."

"Right…" Sarah was clearly just as confused about time traveling as Peter was, but she let it slide by without too much contemplation. "Anyway, Jules can sense people who have abilities, and so she's how Claude found me, and quite a few of the others, actually. He approached me after class one day and gave me a proposition to 'save the world' with him. It was catchy and I couldn't ignore it, so he gave me a number and after a couple days I gave him a call. I've been hooked ever since."

"So, ho long has it been?"

"Almost five months."

"Five months," he nodded. "That's not bad. Now see when I met Claude last year, he didn't have any groupies."

"Groupies?" She scoffed.

"And when I met him, he was a mess. He was living on his own with no friends, no connections, no responsibility, and absolutely no mission. I'm not saying it to brag or anything, but if he hadn't met me, I think he might still be without a mission. Helping me helped him, and consequently the world. So if you don't want to trust me that's just fine, but if Claude's got a mission, then so do I. Got it?"

She nodded silently.

"Good," he sat back and finished off his beer in a long gulp. "So, feel like telling me why you're so angry?"

"I'm not…"

"You can't lie to me Sarah," he cut her off. "Not only can I now sense your emotions, but I can also read thoughts." He noticed her shocked expression and quickly defended himself. "I'm not reading your thoughts, and I haven't yet, but if you continue to lie to me I might give in to temptation."

She took a long sip of her beer and then gave in to his questions. "I had a twin brother."

"Had?"

"He disappeared last year."

"Disappeared?"

"You're echoing me like a parrot. Stop it."

"Sorry, please continue."

"My brother vanished last year, without a trace," she explained. "I searched for him for months, doing all that I could…but then the cops gave up, and eventually I had to give up too. There was just no hope. I didn't have the resources or the ability…and so I've been trying to cope with that for a while now. My parents died a few years ago and my brother was all I had. We've always been very close."

"I'm so sorry Sarah," Peter was genuinely sympathetic to her feelings in this matter. "I can imagine how hard it must have been for you to lose him, especially not knowing what happened…"

"When I met Claude he told me about an organization that kidnapped people with abilities."

"Yes, I've had the misfortune of crossing paths with them." Peter started to put the puzzle together. "Claude thinks the Company took your brother."

"Yes."

"And so you joined ranks with him in order to face off against the Company?"

"And to save the world."

"Right, to save the world," Peter nodded. "I guess we have something in common then."

"Claude also mentioned that you knew a little something about the Company."

"Yea, like I said I've had my run-ins."

"He mentioned that your mom was involved?"

"Umm," Peter stood suddenly and walked away from the couch, turning his back on her. "Yea, that's complicated. I'm not really sure how she fits into it all yet, but I'd like to believe she's an innocent party in the whole business."

"I hope for your sake that's true," Sarah told him sincerely.

Peter looked at her for a minute and without even thinking about it he had invaded her private thoughts and couldn't stop himself from listening in.

_There is so much pain in his eyes. I can feel it too, but I'm trying not to. It's almost too painful to bear. God, I wish I could take away some of his pain. _

He pulled himself out of her mind abruptly and smiled unintentionally. She returned the smile slightly, though looked a little uncertain about why she was even doing it.

"Well, I guess I should go now…" she stood suddenly. "I've intruded long enough."

Peter stood as well and walked her to the door. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For coming over here tonight," Peter explained.

She smiled wider. "Really? You're cool with it?"

"Yea," he nodded and opened the door. "I'm cool with it. I wasn't at first, trust me, but I think it was good for me to have you here tonight."

"I'm glad," she told him. "Well…" she took a step outside of his apartment. "I'll see you later then."

"Yea, you will." He watched her head down the hallway and disappear around the corner before closing himself back in his apartment.

NIKI & CLAIRE

NEW YORK CITY

"Hi honey! It is so good to see you!"

"I know, it's been ages," Claire agreed as she gave Niki a hug.

"I'm glad you called me," Niki smiled and linked arms with Claire as they headed into the café where they had met for lunch. "I was starting to wonder if you had forgotten all about me."

"Of course not!" Claire directed them towards the counter and hostess seated them. Things have just been so crazy lately. You know I moved in with my dad—my real dad—so I've been adjusting to that whole thing. Plus school has been crazy, and cheer…"

"I know," Niki cut her off. "I wasn't actually blaming you. I just meant that I've missed our little lunch dates."

"Me too," Claire smiled and relaxed. "So tell me all the updates. How are DL and Micah?"

"Good…they're both good. DL's job is going very well. Micah is still the smartest little guy in the world, but he's been lonely without Molly."

"Oh I'm sure he has," Claire sympathized. "They were so close. I spent Saturday with her and she misses him a lot too. I mean, of course they still have school together, but since they no longer come home together, she says they don't really have much time to play."

"I feel bad about having to separate them, but things at home have just become a little uncertain and I feel Molly would be better off somewhere else."

"I understand completely," Claire tried to reassure her. "It's the same way I felt when I asked you to take Molly. I'm sure she understands too."

The waiter arrived and the girls placed their orders before speaking again.

"So, you're living with Nathan now…"

Claire confirmed with a nod.

"How's that going?" Niki asked. "Do you enjoy it?"

"Umm, yea," Claire tried to paste on her most believable smile. "He's great, or well at least he tries, but I think it's been difficult for him to adjust to having a teenage girl in the house."

"At least he's trying."

"Yea, he is," Claire agreed. "And the boys are adorable! At first I was a little nervous they wouldn't want me as their sister, but they genuinely like me!"

"Well of course they do," Niki laughed. "You are a very likeable person!" After a slight silence, she asked with a bit of awkwardness: "What's his wife like?"

"Heidi's incredible," Claire gushed instantly. "I know that she wasn't thrilled to discover her husband had a kid with another woman, but she adjusted very well. Honestly I think she has been the best part of the whole thing. Obviously I miss my mom a lot, but Heidi has made sure that I don't feel completely alone, you know? She's been great."

"That's good," Niki smiled a little. "It's good she's nice."

"Have you ever met her?"

"No," she answered quickly.

"You have met Nathan though right? I can't remember if you were at the meeting that one time…" Claire paused. "That was a long time ago, but you were both there I think…"

"Yes, I've met Nathan."

"He's pretty great, isn't he?" Claire continued. "A little obsessed with his politics and sometimes he forgets he's not the only person in the world, but he's sweet and he really cares about me and his family."

"It's lucky you have him."

"Yea, it really is."

"So, why did you leave Peter's?"

"What?" Claire had been so determined not to let that subject come up that she hadn't anticipated Niki starting it.

"You two always seemed so close, it's just surprising that you left his apartment."

"I know…" she sighed. "It definitely wasn't planned. To be honest, I wish it hadn't happened. I…I really miss him."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really…" Claire answered instinctively, but even as she said it, she realized that what she had been wanting for the past month was exactly that: someone to talk to. "It's just very complicated."

"Trust me, nobody understands complicated like I do!"

Claire smiled at Niki's gracious offer and for a moment she felt an urge to be completely honest and tell Niki exactly what had caused her rift with Peter.

"It's not that I don't trust you," Claire explained. "Or even that I don't want to tell you…I do actually. I haven't told anyone about it yet though, and it's difficult for me to even think about on my own. I'm not sure I should talk about it. It's very personal."

Niki had suddenly become very silent. Claire noticed her eyes had momentarily shifted out of focus and her lips had lost their forced smile.

"Niki?" Claire frowned. "Is something wrong?"

The older blonde looked back at Claire and her thin lips twisted up into a smile. "I love personal…"

Claire thought the tone of Niki's voice was a little strange, but since she was being so encouraging and Claire was so desperate to speak, she relented to her desire and spilled the great secret she had been keeping so shamefully.

"Peter kissed me."

Niki raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "Was he bad?"

"What?" Whatever the response Claire had been expecting, this was not it.

"Was he a bad kisser?"

"Oh my god…that's so not the point…" Claire shook her head. "Peter kissed me. I mean, he was drunk and I know he didn't mean to do it, but a part of him clearly had thought about it and wanted to do it…I couldn't stay with him obviously after that…"

"Why not?"

"Because he kissed me." She couldn't understand what part of her statement was being lost on Niki.

"Did you enjoy the kiss?" Niki asked.

"I..." Claire couldn't answer.

"It's okay to admit it," Niki told her. "It makes sense. You said Peter was drunk when he kissed you, so it's something you should have been able to forgive and forget without a second thought. If you had wanted to, you could even have pretended it had never happened. He undoubtedly would have supported that decision. And yet, you chose to run away from the situation."

"Of course I ran away from him! He kissed me!" Claire hoped she wouldn't have to repeat it again.

"But did you run simply because he kissed you or because you wanted him to?"

"I didn't want him to…" she spoke very quietly. "He's my uncle."

"And you have been living with him for a while, by yourself, becoming very close to him…it makes sense that you would have developed romantic feelings for him."

"I didn't," Claire insisted. "It was his mistake, and I left because I wasn't sure if I could trust him anymore."

"Was it Peter you couldn't trust, or yourself?"

"I don't want to talk about this anymore," Claire decided. "And please, promise me you'll never tell anyone! Nathan can never know…"

"Sweetie, I don't want to burst your little bubble, but your dad's not exactly a saint himself."

"I…I never said hew as a saint, but he's been so good to me…" she paused to consider the strange expression on Niki's face. "Why do you say that about him though? I mean, you've only met him once, right?"

"That's what he'd like you to believe."

"What does that mean?"

There was another brief silence while the waiter delivered the food. During the quiet, Claire watched Niki's unfailing smile. There was something different about her smile. There was something different about her smile somehow—a bit of the sweetness was gone. When the waiter left, Claire repeated her earlier question.

"Sure you want to know?" Niki asked, still smiling. "I'm not sure you can handle it."

"Niki, you're not making sense. What do you know about Nathan?"

Without losing her smile, she gave Claire her answer. "He and I met in Las Vegas, and let's just say I got to know him very well that night…in his hotel room…"

"You're not serious!" Claire felt the sudden desire to leap to her feet, but she restrained herself for the moment. "He would never…"

"And yet, he did."

"But how could he?" Claire shook her head. "How could you? What about DL?"

"What he doesn't know can't hurt him."

"I cannot believe I'm hearing this!"

"Yea, I didn't think you'd be able to handle it. You are just a child after all."

"Stop it," Claire glared angrily. "I'm not a child. I'm just a little shocked to hear you talking so casually about having an affair."

"It didn't mean anything," Niki explained. "It was a one time thing. For me it was just an assignment—a job. For him, however, it was a personal choice…"

"I don't want to hear about this any more. What Nathan decides to do in his personal life doesn't concern me…" she was lying to herself, hoping Niki wouldn't see through her emotional barrier.

"Look honey, I'm just saying, don't put him on a pedestal too easily."

Claire fell quiet and stared at her food not feeling very hungry anymore.

"Make sure and give him my love when you get home."

"I don't think this is very funny, Niki," Claire told her bitterly. "Nathan is my dad and even though Heidi is like, well, technically my _third_ mom, I still feel very close to her and I hate to think how she would feel if she knew…" suddenly it hit her. She understood why Nathan had been sleeping in the guest room and why he and Heidi had been awkward around each other since the day Claire had moved in. "For your sake Niki, I hope DL never finds out what you and Nathan did."

PETER & HEIDI

PETER'S APARTMENT

"Wow, hi Heidi…I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting you…" Peter didn't budge from the doorway. "Did Nathan send you? Or Claire maybe?"

She motioned for him to stand aside so she could enter. He did so reluctantly, but finally realized he had no choice if he wished to hear her purpose in being there. When he had offered her a seat on the couch and a glass of wine, she started to talk.

"When Nathan lied to me about the blonde woman he was visiting in Vegas, why did you defend him? Actually, if I remember correctly, you came up with the story for him."

"I did," he agreed. "Heidi, I didn't want to hurt you, but that was not the appropriate time or place for you to learn of your husband's betrayal."

"And he is your brother. You have your loyalty to him to consider," Heidi reminded him.

"No," he disagreed easily. "My loyalty to my brother doesn't make me ignore that what he did was wrong. I hate him for hurting you."

"That's good of you to say, but I understand if you feel the need to side with him."

"I'm not taking sides."

"Fine," Heidi held up her hands to surrender the conversation. "I didn't actually come here to talk about me and Nathan."

"I have a feeling I don't want to talk about that…" Peter stood and went to the kitchen to find himself a beer.

"Peter," Heidi stood and followed him into the kitchen. "Claire has been staying with us for a whole month now and we still don't even know why. Her boyfriend is over nearly every day and she's got her school and cheer, but she never smiles anymore. She's changed Peter, and I know you're the reason."

"Yea, I know that too," Peter told her.

"Peter, please, tell me what happened between you two."

"Absolutely not. It's none of your business. What happened is between Claire and me."

"But it's effecting everyone. You can't come for dinner anymore and her mood is making Nathan miserable. He thinks he's failing as a father."

"Why do you care? I thought you weren't speaking to him."

"I'm still living at home. We are trying to keep up appearances for the boys. Besides, I don't care," she insisted. "I just thought you might care."

Peter put his untouched beer down on the counter and faced Heidi. "I do care. That's just it. I care too much."

"I don't understand."

"I care about Claire."

"Good, then you should care about how miserable she is."

"You don't understand."

She considered his expression for a moment and then took a step back. "You care for her romantically."

His silence was her answer.

"I should have known. I should have seen it," Heidi returned to the couch and sat down. "All the moping and anger…you're in love with her!"

"So you see the problem, right? I mean listen to what you said: I love her. She's my niece Heidi!" He laughed suddenly. "God, I should be arrested."

"You haven't done anything wrong. It's just a feeling, and I can understand how hard it must have been for you to be living with her and growing so close to her…" she paused. "I know she cares about you too Peter. I can tell because she cries every time you call."

"She still hasn't returned any of my calls."

"She's upset Peter," Heidi reminded him. "What I don't know is why she's so upset with you. What happened?"

He hesitated and then dropped onto the couch beside her and covered his face with his hands. "I kissed her."

"Oh God…" Heidi reached out a hand and put it on his shoulder. "You shouldn't have done that…but Peter, you can't hate yourself either."

"How can I not?" Peter was on the verge of tears, but he did his best to fight them off. "The way she looked at me…I had betrayed her and hurt her…it's unforgivable."

"No Peter, she's a very understanding person, but she has been wounded and it will take her time to heal."

"How much time?"

"Only she knows that." Heidi stood and came around to face him. "Peter, I have to ask…"

"What?" he looked up with a defensive scowl.

"If she were to forgive you and come back…" she paused and seemed momentarily to reconsider, but then continued. "Would you feel tempted to kiss her again?"

"No!" He nearly screamed, making Heidi take another step away from him.

"I didn't mean to upset you…"

"No, Heidi, seriously," he persisted loudly. "It was a mistake! I was upset and completely drunk and it just happened…I wasn't thinking…it would never…I would never let it happen again."

"All right," Heidi stopped him. "I believe you. And eventually she will too. Just have patience and don't give up on her. The friendship that you two used to have was too great to lose. I'm sure she knows that."

"Yea?" Peter sighed and grasped Heidi's hands. "I hope so."

"I have to go. The boys are going to be done with school soon and I promised to pick them up today."

"Right," he stood to walk her to the door. "Thank you. And Heidi, if you think Claire should forgive me for my stupidity, maybe you should reconsider forgiving Nathan."

She smiled a little and left without another word.


	60. Answers are Needed

A/N: I have been without internet for far too long and now I am realizing how painfully addicted I am to it

_A/N: I have been without internet for far too long and now I am realizing how painfully addicted I am to it. Hmm…probably unhealthy, but I'm okay with that. Anyway, I'm back at school now and this year am living in an apartment with my delightful roommate, so there has been much of the settling in and very little of the writing unfortunately. And even more unfortunately, with school now starting up again, the writing time will only become more scarce over the next few weeks. I will try and be faithful, hopefully updating weekly, but please bare with me if I am unable to update for a while! All my readers are so amazingly faithful and it makes me so eager to write more because I know you all are waiting, so I will do my best not to disappoint you. X's and O's. _

MOHINDER AND SASHA

NEW YORK CITY

"So this woman…" Mohinder double-checked the name attached to the photo in his folder. "Miss Sato has been infected for only a month?"

"That's right," Sasha confirmed.

"I'm impressed that you were able to find her so quickly."

"Well, I have impressive contacts."

Mohinder knew Sasha would never give him completely satisfying information, and he had given up prying. When they were first starting out together, he would ask her questions until she got so fed up with him that she would yell and storm away like a child, but now he just gave up after the initial questioning.

"Her symptoms can't be very advanced," Mohinder mused, mostly to himself, as they walked down the sidewalk towards the apartment address they had for the woman.

"They're not," Sasha answered.

Even though he had promised himself to not pry anymore, the situation was too curious for him to ignore. "How can you be sure that she has the virus if she's not exhibiting symptoms yet?"

"It's in her blood."

"Her blood? You have managed to acquire a blood sample from her?"

"Yep."

"That's remarkable. How could…"

"Dr. Suresh…" Sasha cut him off with a warning spark in her eyes.

"Right…" he surrendered. "Never mind."

They finished their walk in silence and at the door to the apartment, Mohinder allowed Sasha to go first, deciding that she was much too fond of being in control. She knocked on the door and he waited silently beside her while they waited for the door to be answered. After a moment they heard a slight bustling inside and then the doorknob twisted and the door was opened.

The young woman that stood in the doorway gave them a brief look and then her soft brown eyes contorted in terror and she screamed, quickly trying to shut the door again. Sasha, however, though momentarily stunned by the girl's reaction, stopped the door with her foot and pushed her way in, motioning for Mohinder to follow. He did, but not at all as eagerly as Sasha.

"What do you want from me?" The girl asked with a trembling voice.

"What do you think we want from you?" Sasha asked.

"I…I don't know…"

"Then why did you scream?" Mohinder questioned her earnestly.

"I…" she hesitated and a tear slipped down her cheek. "I don't know."

"Yes you do," Sasha insisted. "Do you know us?"

She shook her head, but her eyes told a different story.

"You are Kyoko Sato aren't you?"

She nodded.

"We're not going to hurt you," Mohinder told her gently. "We're here to help you."

"Help me with what?" Her body was still tense and her eyes showed that she was still terrified. "I don't need any help."

Before they had a chance to say anything else, the door opened and a group of people burst into the room. Mohinder instinctively took hold of Kyoto and pulled her aside, but he could see Sasha's eyes burning with a plan and he feared what she might do. One of the people who had come in was a very muscular young man who had a knife out and was moving towards Mohinder and the girl he thought he was protecting. Sasha turned herself in his direction and grabbed hold of his arm with both hands. Mohinder knew that her powers were hard at work the instant the young man started gaping for breath.

"Sasha, stop!" He abandoned his guard of Kyoko and dove forward, forcing Sasha to release her grip on the man as Mohinder pinned her to the ground.

The man collapsed forward, clutching at his chest in pain, but the rest of his group rushed toward the girl and took hold of her quickly, forcing her to follow them back out of the room.

"Ray, you okay?" A girl from the group helped the man to his feet and out of the room as Mohinder continued to restrain Sasha.

"Are you insane!" Sasha screamed so loudly at Mohinder that he had to back away.

"No! Are you?"

"How could you let her get away?"

"You were trying to kill that man. You would have, if I hadn't stopped you."

"Yes, I would have," she agreed. "If that's what it took for us to complete our assignment."

"We're not murderers, Sasha!" Mohinder glared. "Or at least, I'm not."

"You don't understand what you've done."

"I just saved a man's life."

"But at what cost?" She jumped up and headed toward the door.

"Sasha," he ran to catch up to her. "Look, she's barely infected. She'll be okay for a while. We'll find her again."

She shook her head, still glaring at him. "I thought you understood the mission, Dr. Suresh. Clearly you still have a lot to learn."

NATHAN & CLAIRE

PETRELLI HOUSE, NEW YORK

"Where're the boys?"

"With Heidi. She took them to soccer practice."

"Oh…" Claire hesitated with one foot on the last step. "So, there's no one else here with us?"

"Nope." Nathan clearly did not pick up on Claire's nervousness. "It's great, isn't it? We haven't had much alone time since you've been here. I feel like you've been spending most of your time with Heidi and the boys, and no time at all with me."

"Yea…it's too bad…" she started backing up the stairs.

"So, what should we do? Lunch?"

"Umm…"

"Claire, is something wrong?" Nathan realized that she was trying to move away from him. "Have I said or done something?"

She shook her head, but he wasn't convinced.

"Sweetheart, please tell me what's wrong? You're clearly uncomfortable right now and I need to know why! What's happened?"

"Nothing's happened," she told him. "I just have a lot of homework."

"Really? You haven't finished yet? It's already Sunday."

"I know, but the teachers love giving out homework…" Claire continued backing up.

"Claire, stop. Please."

She stopped as requested and waited for him to continue.

"I've been doing the best I can to make everything here as comfortable for you as possible. I know it can't be easy for you to adjust to having a new family, but I have been hoping that you would eventually feel at home here, with us…"

"I do!" She told him suddenly.

"You do?" He didn't hide his surprise.

"Of course I do." She took a couple steps back down towards him. "I didn't realize you still had your doubts, but I do like being here Nathan. Your sons are great, and Heidi is amazing…" she stopped again.

"Then what's the problem?"

Claire looked away for a moment and then she looked back at him with tears in her eyes. "I know why you and Heidi have been fighting for so long."

"You do?" He tried to cover his surprise quickly with a smile. "We aren't really fighting Claire. It was just a little disagreement…every couple goes through difficult patches at some point or another."

"This is more than just a difficult patch," Claire insisted. "This is a serious problem."

"You don't know what you're talking about…"

"Niki told me."

Nathan was quiet.

"I'm sorry." Claire murmured quietly. "I was never going to say anything. I don't think it was right of Niki to tell me in the first place, but she did and I can't pretend any different. I know what happened and I know that Heidi knows and now I know why you have been sleeping in the guest room for a month."

"You have to understand that what happened between Niki and me was not planned. I love Heidi with all my heart and I never wanted to hurt her."

"Then you shouldn't have slept with another woman."

"Trust me, I never meant to…"

"That's not comforting. Just because you don't mean to do something, it doesn't change the fact that you did it."

"I know that."

"And it doesn't change the fact that it was wrong."

"I never claimed it did. I know it was wrong. It was very wrong, and if I could take it back I would, but I can't. Heidi means everything to me, Claire. My family means everything to me. I want to make things right, but I don't know how."

Claire stared at him for a moment, wondering if he was actually going to cry. She thought that he was close, but she didn't feel very bad about it. She was angry at what he had done. She was angry about the situation, even though she wasn't exactly angry at him; she was just angry.

"Claire…" he spoke quietly when she wasn't saying anything. "Please don't hate me."

"It's not my place to hate you," she told him. "This is between you and Heidi."

"But it's clearly affecting you."

"It surprised me," she corrected him. "And it upset me, but nobody's perfect." Her mind flashed to Peter and the mistake that he had made. She wondered if he was feeling the guilty remorse that his brother was feeling about his situation. Heidi hadn't forgiven Nathan, clearly, but she hadn't kicked him out of her life either. She was at least giving him a chance—time to make up for his wrongs. Claire hadn't even given Peter a chance to apologize. She shook the thought from her mind, unable to think about it at the moment. "She shouldn't have told me."

"What?"

"Niki shouldn't have told me about the two of you," Claire decided. "It was wrong. She knew it wasn't any of my business."

"I'm actually surprised she did tell you. How did it come up?"

Claire thought back to the conversation she had had with Niki. "It was weird actually. One minute she was asking how I liked living here and the next she was telling me all about the two of you. It was very sudden and not at all necessary…"

Nathan looked concerned, but he just shrugged. "Well, now you know."

"I wish I didn't."

"I'm so sorry, Claire."

"Stop apologizing," she told him. "I've already forgiven you, but it's not my forgiveness that's important."

"Speaking of forgiveness…"

Claire frowned. "Don't go there, Nathan."

"Have you heard from him lately?"

"Actually no. It's been almost a week, which is the longest he's gone without trying to get a hold of me since I moved here."

"Maybe he's given up."

"Maybe…" Claire fell quiet as she thought about Peter finally giving up on her. The moment she let herself considered it, she realized how much she didn't want that to happen. Even though she had been ignoring him so far, she had gotten used to his daily phone calls and she knew that one day she intended to answer them. If he had given up, she was afraid she had lost her chance to forgive him.

"You could call him, you know?"

"Yea, I could…" Claire smiled at Nathan slightly. "Maybe later I will. Did you still want to get some lunch?"

"Yea, sure," he was hesitating now. "I just need to make a quick phone call. Let's leave in about ten minutes?"

"Okay." Claire went back upstairs to retrieve her shoes and jacket and Nathan went to his study to make his phone call.

"_Hello?" _

"Niki…" he spoke slowly. "It's Nathan."

"_Nathan?" _

He could hear the surprise in her voice.

"We need to talk."

"_About what?" _

"I think you know what."

"_I thought we had decided it would be better never to talk about that…" _

"Yea, so did I, which is why I was so confused that you were talking about it without me."

"_What do you mean?" _

"Claire told me about your lunch the other day."

"_Yea?" _

"Why did you tell her? Why the hell would you tell my daughter that I slept with you?"

"_What?" _

Now he heard shock and fear in her voice.

"I know you told her, Niki. She just confronted me about it. I thought we had a deal. I thought I could trust you to keep it a secret…"

"_Nathan I didn't…" _

"It's a little immature to lie about it now, isn't it?"

"_You don't understand…" _

He was surprised when he heard the tears catching in her voice.

"I don't understand what?"

"_It wasn't me…I mean, I didn't mean to tell her…I didn't know…" _

"What are you talking about Niki?"

She was crying almost too hard to speak anymore.

"_I'm so…sorry…" _

"Niki, calm down, please!" He couldn't help feeling concerned about her.

"_I never meant to tell her…I'm so sorry…" _

"Niki, seriously, what's going on here?"

"_It was Jessica." _

"Oh God Niki, not this again. The last time you were talking about Jessica you said she was going to kill me."

"_She would have." _

"I really wish I could understand what you're talking about." He hesitated. "All I know is that you broke my trust when you told Claire about us. I'll never be able to trust you again, and I don't think I want you to see my daughter anymore."

"_Please Nathan, you don't understand…" _

"That's exactly the problem."

"_I'll tell you everything, I promise. I'll explain everything…just please…don't tell DL." _

"About us?" Nathan laughed. "Don't worry. You can trust _me_. I don't want your husband to be involved in this. Enough people have been hurt already."

"_Thank you…" _she was crying again. _"Can we meet later? We need to talk in person." _

"Fine."

"_I think Claire should be there too." _

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"_No, please, she needs to know the truth about me. If I told her about you and me, who knows what else I said…"_

Nathan wasn't any less confused, but she sounded so sincere, he couldn't argue. "Fine. We're going out for lunch now. Can you meet us?"

"_Yes." _

"And you'll explain everything?"

"_Everything. I promise." _

MATT & MOLLY

MATT'S APARTMENT, NEW YORK

"Good morning sunshine!"

Molly rolled over in her bed, which had been set up in the baby's room only a day after she had moved in with Matt and Janice. Matt stood in the doorway of the room, holding the telephone in his hand.

"I didn't want to wake you up, but it's Claire, and I know how you hate to miss her phone calls." He waited for her nod of permission before entering the room and crossing to the bed to give her the phone.

"Hello?"

Matt tried not to look like he was hovering, but he was curious to listen to the girl's conversation. He didn't care so much what she talked about, but more how she sounded. He had been kept up half the night listening to her screaming and crying, but every time he came into her room she remained soundly asleep. He hated knowing that she was suffering and being unable to help her.

"I'm fine…"

Matt looked at her briefly and noticed that she had her eyes shut, which he had realized she often did when she was lying and hoping no one noticed.

"No really Claire, I'm fine." Molly glared at Matt suddenly and he turned away, pretending not to be listening. "I do miss you though. When are you coming to visit? Really? Promise?"

Matt could hear the relief in the girl's voice.

"Okay, I'll see you later then!"

When he was sure she had hung up, Matt turned back. "How's Claire?"

Molly had other matters on her mind. "You told Claire I was screaming last night?"

He nodded. "Of course I did. She cares about you as much as I do. And, when she brought you here she made me promise that I would keep her updated about your nightmares."

"Now she's all worried."

"She should be," Matt told her. "I'm worried! Janice is worried! I tried waking you up last night, but you didn't even stir."

Molly's eyes clouded and she looked away.

"Molly, talk to me. What were you dreaming last night?"

She shook her head. "It's over now."

"That doesn't matter. It will come back. It always does, but if you talk to me about it, maybe I can help you not be so afraid."

"I don't scream because I'm scared."

"Why do you scream then?"

She was quiet.

"Molly, please talk to me…"

"I scream because I can't get out. I don't like being trapped like that."

He sat down on the edge of her bed, but she pulled up her knees and hugged them tightly, keeping herself at a distance from him.

"You were crying last night too," he told her. "Why do you cry?"

"I cry because I'm scared."

"What were you scared of last night."

"The boogeyman."

"Sylar?" Matt sighed. He hadn't heard her speak of him for a while now and he had hoped that the dream she had had of him a while ago would only be a one time thing—like a memory. "Is he back?"

"He's not here right now," she explained. "I know because I looked for him. I wanted to make sure."

"Well that's good then…"

"He's coming back though."

"He is?"

"He's coming back very soon, and he's not alone."

"Who's with him?"

"I don't know who she is, but I'm scared of her too."

"Nobody is going to hurt you Molly." He moved closer and pulled her into his arms for a hug. "I promised you that I will protect you. I'm not going to let anything happen to you. Sylar will never find you again and neither will anyone that is with him."

She cried a little into his shoulder and he held her until the doorbell rang.

"It's Claire," she told him. "She said she was on her way over here."

"Okay," he pulled away from her gently. "Why don't you get dressed and I'll go let her in. Come and join us when you're ready."

Molly nodded, and he left her to answer the door.

"Hi!" Claire stood on the doorstep with a nervous smile. "I should have asked to make sure you weren't busy, but after you told me about Molly's screaming…I just had to come and see her."

"It's fine," he stood aside and motioned her in. "Janice is still sleeping, but Molly is getting dressed and she'll be out here soon. Are you hungry?"

"No thanks, I had breakfast early with Nathan."

"How about some orange juice? Or coffee?"

"Orange juice sounds great," she agreed, and followed him into the kitchen. "So, did you talk to Molly about her nightmare? Would she tell you anything?"

"She said she saw Sylar again, but this time he was with a woman."

"Was he hurting the woman?"

"Molly didn't make it sound that way. She made it sound like the woman was with Sylar voluntarily, because Molly is now afraid of the woman as well."

"Great, he's got himself a sidekick…or a girlfriend." Claire shook her head. "Molly must be so scared if she thinks Sylar is coming for her."

"What I don't understand is why she's seeing him at all."

"What do you mean?"

"You told me that this man, the one who can see her, the one who traps her in these nightmares, shows her bad things that he can do to people, or that he will do to people when she finds them for him."

"That's the best way I understand it. To be honest, it's all a little confusing."

"Then why is she seeing Sylar?" Matt puzzled. "What does this bad man have to gain by showing Molly Sylar? How does he even know that she's afraid of him?"

Claire shrugged. "Maybe they're working together?"

"I never got the impression from Sylar that he had a boss. He seemed pretty self-serving."

"True, but things could have changed. It has been almost a year."

"I just feel like there's something more…something we're missing."

After he had been quiet for a moment, Claire spoke up again. "What are you thinking?"

"I don't know…I guess I'm thinking that we should talk to the others."

"You're not seriously suggesting another group meeting, are you?" Claire shook her head. "That didn't go so well last time."

"It didn't go badly though. We just didn't get much accomplished, but that's because we didn't know what were trying to accomplish. This time we'll have a purpose. We need to figure out why Sylar is coming back to New York, who this woman is, and how they are connected the bad man controlling Molly's nightmares."

"That's a lot to figure out at one meeting."

"Claire, I promised Molly I would protect her. I can't do that if I don't know what I'm protecting her from." He glanced down the hall to make sure Molly hadn't come out of her room yet. "Please. Help me arrange a meeting with everyone."

"I can't."

"But I need you! You know everyone better than I do."

"I can't be at the meeting if Peter's going to be there."

"You two still haven't made up?"

She shook her head.

"Do you think you ever will?"

She shrugged. "I hope so."

"Then why not make up at the meeting?"

Claire laughed, but was saved from answering as Molly came bounding down the hallway and leaped into Claire's arms.


	61. Shocking Discoveries

_A/N: I know, it's been over a week, but this is an extra-extra long update! I just really wanted to get the meeting into this update, and it didn't feel right cutting it anywhere, so I decided to wait until I could post it all together. There were a few specific points I needed to cover, and it was difficult to work them all in, but let me know how you think it turned out. XOXO_

PETER & SARAH

PETER'S APARTMENT

"Seriously Peter, this apartment is getting out of hand!" Sarah carefully tiptoed through the front room, trying not to step on any papers, though it was difficult considering the mass quantity that littered the floor, and chairs, and tables.

"I left a path!" Peter pointed to the narrow space of floor, which was surrounded on all sides by more papers.

"Thanks, I appreciate it." Sarah laughed as she finally made it to the couch where Peter was sitting and tucked herself into the corner of the couch, so as not to disturb Peter where he was currently scribbling furiously. "So when I asked if you were free tonight and you said yes, what you really meant was I can come over and watch you slowly losing your mind for a few hours if I want?"

Peter was too distracted to hear her.

"Peter, come on!" Sarah finally gave up being patient and reached across to him, snatching the papers from his hands.

"Sarah!" He tried to take them back, but she held them out of reach.

"No. You have to talk to me first. Do you realize this is the fourth time I've been here this week and just sat here watching you work on your scribbles? I thought we were going out!"

"We are going out…maybe…" Peter's eyes were focused on the papers in her hands, but he tried to appease her with an explanation. "This is important Sarah. These are not just scribbles…I thought you understood that. If we're going to stop the future I saw, then I have to figure out how it happened. These notes are the best method I have."

"I do understand that…" she hesitated.

"Then why are you trying to distract me?"

Her head dropped. "Sometimes we need to be distracted."

Peter sighed. "I know. I'm sorry." He sat quiet for a moment and then tried reasoning with her again. "I enjoy having you here Sarah, I really do. These past couple weeks have been great. You're great."

"But?"

"But sometimes there are more important things…"

"Than love?"

"Love?" His eyes grew wide at the word.

"I don't mean that I love you. Don't look so worried. I'm just saying that romance, and relationships, and love when that moment comes, is important whether or not you want to believe it." She smiled at him and reached out her hands towards him. "It's been important to me to have a relationship with you. It's the first nice thing that's happened in a while."

He took her hand and held it for a moment without saying anything. There was a knock on the door and Peter dropped her hand quickly. In that instant Peter felt the change in Sarah's emotions. He couldn't help it; they were so unexpectedly powerful. Powerfully what, he wasn't sure. It could have been a multitude of emotions, but he didn't want to figure it out, so he stood and quickly, but skillfully, maneuvered his way to the door.

"Matt?" He paused when he had opened the door, somewhat surprised.

"We need to talk." Matt didn't bother with greetings.

"Talk?" Peter repeated. "About what?"

"You know exactly what about." Matt's eyes were narrowed slightly in a scowl.

Peter didn't have to read Matt's mind to know why he was there. Looking back at Sarah he smiled apologetically. "Can we reschedule?"

"Sure," she stood and made her way to the door. _It's not like there's much happening here tonight anyway._

Peter hadn't meant to read her thoughts, but what he heard made him feel slightly guilty. "Sarah…I'm sorry…"

She glared when she realized he had invaded her mind. "You promised not to do that." Then she looked at Matt and stopped talking.

"It's fine," Peter told her. "This is Matt. He's the one I got that power from."

Matt looked confused, but when Sarah turned to him, she was smiling.

"You're the mind reader?"

He nodded slowly.

"It's a great ability, but I'd just rather Peter never would have gotten it." Sarah glanced at Peter couldn't tell if she was joking or not. "Good to meet you Matt." She left without another word and Matt stepped into the apartment and closed the door.

"Her, we'll talk about later," he told Peter bluntly. "We need to talk about Claire."

"What do you know about it?"

"Enough. Claire's been at my place a lot lately visiting Molly. She's not happy."

"What do you expect me do to about it?"

"Well, I was thinking that since this is your fault, maybe you should work on fixing it."

"I have been working on it!" Peter exclaimed. "I've been calling her almost every day, but she won't even take my calls. How am I supposed to explain myself if she won't give me a chance?"

"Dammit Peter, I warned you to be careful!"

"I know!" Peter walked across the room, trying to put distance between himself and Matt. "I tried. I never wanted to hurt her, you have to believe that."

"I do."

"But I just couldn't…" he shook his head. "There was this one day…I don't even know what happened…I just lost control."

"Well you better get yourself under control before you see her again."

"Haven't you been listening?" Peter asked. "She's never going to see me!"

Matt shook his head. "She is, but she doesn't know it yet."

"How?"

"I told Claire we need to have another meeting. There have been some new developments with Molly's nightmares and I think it's time to bring everyone else in on them."

"Is she okay?" Peter asked quickly.

"She's fine, just scared, but I don't think we should be ignoring these dreams anymore." Matt explained. "Claire agreed to the meeting, but she said she wouldn't go if you were there."

"Great…" Peter muttered.

"So, I'm not going to tell Claire that you will be there. If you come after everyone else is already there, I know Claire won't dare to make a problem in front of everyone. She wouldn't want to make a big deal out of it. She'll have to sit through the meeting with you, and if you're lucky she'll talk with you after."

"She's not going to be happy if we trick her like that."

"She's already not happy. It can't get any worse."

Peter thought about it for a moment and finally nodded. "Okay. Tell me when and I'll be there."

"Peter, if I'm helping you to see her, I expect that I can trust you never to hurt her again." Matt's voice was more serious that Peter had ever heard him before.

"I won't."

"Good. Now, can we discuss what the hell is going on with all these papers?"

MOHINDER

NEW YORK CITY

"No, I can't talk right now…"

"_You haven't talked to me in weeks!" _

"I am very sorry, but work is a priority…"

"_I thought Molly was a priority." _

Mohinder sighed and briefly took the phone away from his ear and ran his hand through his curly hair. When he returned to the phone, he hoped his voice was expressing the emotion he was feeling. "Claire, Molly will always be my priority, which is why I'm working with these people."

"_I know...I'm sorry…I shouldn't have said that. There's just a lot going on right now, and I feel a little overwhelmed…like I'm trying to do everything by myself." _

Mohinder didn't like the distress in Claire's voice and he wished he could see her and help her with whatever it was she found herself dealing with at this time. He knew what Sasha would say if he even brought it up, but in that moment he didn't much care about Sasha or the Company or the work they were doing. All he cared about was Molly, and Claire, and Madeline…he wanted his life back.

"Claire, I'm in New York."

"_What? Now?" _

"Yes," Mohinder lowered his voice so he wouldn't be overheard. Even though Sasha was on her own phone call, he worried she might be able to hear him. "I've been here for a couple days, but I'm not supposed to tell anyone."

"_If you're here, I have to see you! Molly has to see you! She's been asking about you for weeks, and it'll make her feel so much better to be able to see you for herself." _

"I understand that, but I don't think it's possible."

"_Please Dr. Suresh! We're having a meeting tonight at Matt's house. Everyone will be there…well almost…Peter's not going to be there…but everyone else and I know they'll all be as anxious to see you as I am. Please come." _

"I'll try," he gave in because he needed to get her off the phone. "I have to go now!"

"_Okay, I'll see you tonight!" _

"I said maybe…"

She had hung up before he could argue with her any more.

"I'm going out for a while."

Mohinder frowned at Sasha's announcement and moved into the bedroom where she was pulling on a jacket.

"Out? Where are you going?"

"It's private."

She sounded frustrated and slightly angry, which only increased Mohinder's curiosity. "What could be so private that you can't tell me? We're partners remember."

"Not right now we're not," she told him harshly. "I'll be back later. Stay here."

He watched her hurry out of the hotel room, slamming the door. Giving her about a minute head start, he took his own jacket and left the room to follow her.

He took the stairs down to the lobby just in time to see the elevator doors opening and Sasha heading it; he stayed hidden so she couldn't see him though. When she had exited through the front doors, he started to follow again. He followed her at a safe distance for nearly ten blocks before Sasha stopped and turned to enter a coffee shop. Waiting a few moments, Mohinder followed her in to the shop.

He saw her cross to a young man who sat at a corner table. The man stood and greeted Sasha with an eager smile and a long hug. Mohinder felt instinctively that it was her boyfriend. Scoping out the shop carefully, he chose a table out of sight of Sasha, but within hearing distance.

"I thought you said you weren't going to be able to see me this time," the guy was saying as they took their seats.

"I wasn't." Sasha told him. "Things changed though. Aren't you happy to see me?"

"I'm always happy to see you."

"Good, then stop questioning me. Now tell me how things are going here?"

"Seriously? We have one day together after months of not seeing each other, and you want to spend our time talking about _her_?"

"Jaden."

Mohinder had spent enough time with Sasha to recognize her tone of warning.

"I'm sorry Sasha, but I've been with her all week, and I want to spend my time thinking only about you and me now."

"So you're finally getting tired of the bitch?"

"She's not a bitch."

Sasha laughed. "And I thought you didn't care about her."

"I don't…not in that way, but she's a nice girl, okay? Plus she's the one that's been here for me while you're off globe-trotting with another man!"

"Jealousy does not suit you well."

"I'm not jealous. I just wish you weren't gone so much."

"We both have our jobs to do, babe. You know that. It's why either of us put up with what we do. I have to put up with the doctor, and you have to put up with the girl."

"I definitely think I've gotten the better part of this assignment."

"Okay, not that I don't appreciate how fully you've committed yourself to your assignment, but let's not get carried away. She is just an assignment, remember."

"I remember."

"And how is that assignment progressing? Are you any closer to breaking her?"

"She's not easy to break."

"Well find a way. Without her, our plan is useless. In the meantime though, I'd better get back to the doctor. He was already suspicious about me leaving. If I'm gone too long he'll get worried."

"That's it? Five minutes of conversation? I thought we were going to have the night together!"

Mohinder thought about Madeline and how much he would like to have a night with her; he almost felt sorry for Sasha and Jaden.

"Fine, we can have the night together, but I'm going to have to call Mohinder at least and try to make an excuse with him."

Mohinder took that as his cue to slip out of the coffee shop and return to the hotel. During his walk back, he got the phone call from Sasha. Her excuse sounded fake, but he accepted it without question because he knew the truth, and he wanted her to be gone so he could make his own plans.

"_Hello?" _

"Hi again." Mohinder checked his watch as he hailed a taxicab. "My plans have changed. What time is the meeting?"

MATT, CLAIRE, NIKI, NATHAN, ETC.

MATT'S HOUSE, NEW YORK

"I just don't think it's a good idea…"

"She wants to be here," Claire argued.

"I'm not sure that's a decision she should be in charge of making…" Matt glanced over his shoulder to where the girl in question sat quietly on the couch, twiddling a piece of her long hair between a finger and thumb; her round eyes were speedily scanning the gathered group of people. Claire followed Matt's gaze and caught Molly's eyes at which point the girl smiled.

"I think it's important for her to be here and know that there are a lot of people on her side, wanting to keep her safe."

"This meeting is undoubtedly going to cover more than just her nightmares though, and some things may not be very comforting for her to hear."

Molly seemed to sense exactly what they were talking about, because suddenly she was on her feet and running over to them. "I want to stay!"

"I know sweetheart," Matt knelt down to be on eye level with her. "But there's going to be a lot of grown-up talk here tonight and it might be a little scary for you…"

"Matt, I can handle it!" Molly insisted.

"Okay!" He held up his hands in surrender and waved her back to the couch.

Claire followed her and the two girls sat together on the couch, with Molly cuddled up beside Claire. Matt took a seat on a chair that he had pulled out from the dining room and surveyed the group with interest. No one looked quite sure why they were there, or whether it was even a good idea. He didn't blame them; nothing had exactly been accomplished the last time they were all in a room together.

"So, how have you all been?" Matt started the conversation awkwardly. Nothing had even happened yet and he was already starting to regret his plan to bring everyone together. He didn't like big groups—it wasn't his thing—Janice was the one who was good with entertaining, but she told him she would only be present at the meeting as long as he didn't expect her to talk. He looked at her now and saw she was smiling at him encouragingly. "Everyone good?" He followed up on the silence.

"I've been working a lot…" DL broke the silence and drew all eyes onto him.

"Good! That's good…" Matt was once again without anything to say.

"Okay, let's not waste time, we should just get to the point," Niki suddenly took over. "I know I haven't been completely honest with you all about my problem…" She sighed and looked at Nathan. "I thought we were going to be talking about this in private, but clearly you thought everyone should know…"

Matt frowned and looked around the group, wondering if he was the only one confused. He decided to speak up. "Niki, I called this meeting because of Molly's nightmares. I'm not sure what you're talking about…"

She snapped her mouth shut and smiled. "Right, never mind then."

"No," Nathan spoke up now. "I didn't tell anyone else about the situation Niki, but since we're all here maybe you should tell us all at the same time."

The doorbell rang and Claire jumped to her feet. "Hold that thought!" She raced to the door and opened it with a big grin to greet Mohinder. "I am so glad you decided to come!"

"Me too," he returned her smile and gave her a quick hug as he entered the house.

"Dr. Suresh!" Molly leapt off the couch and ran to Mohinder's open arms. "You're home!"

Mohinder let Molly cling to him for a moment, but then set her down again and looked down at her apologetically. "I'm not home for good I'm afraid. It's just a short visit. In fact I'll be leaving tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Molly's eyes filled with tears. "Can't you stay longer?"

"I'm afraid not. Not this time at least."

Molly took his hand and led him over to the couch to sit with her, leaving the other side of herself still open for Claire to resume her seat.

"Did I miss anything?"

"Nothing exciting." Niki mumbled under her breath.

Claire filled Mohinder in quickly. "We were just about to hear all about Niki's mysterious problem…beyond what we already know. I guess it's a little more than just Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde."

Mohinder looked at Niki curiously. "Were we?"

"It's complicated…" Niki looked to her husband for support and he reached for her hand encouragingly. "When I was in jail, my psychiatrist told me I had multiple personality disorder."

"You were in jail?" Molly asked. Claire squeezed her hand and quieted her.

"It's more than a clinical disorder though," Mohinder spoke up.

"As far as we can tell…" Niki agreed. "Sometimes I'm someone else entirely. Her name is Jessica and she's not a good person, as some of you might know." She glanced at Matt who raised his eyebrows with interest. "She's dangerous and she has no moral compass as far as I can tell. She is irrational, brazen, ambitious, and completely selfish."

"But she's not you?" Claire asked.

"She is…I mean she's in my body…but she's not me." Niki sighed. "I told you it was complicated."

"How does it happen?" Matt wanted to know.

Niki shrugged. "Different things bring it on. Sometimes it's anger or if there's a situation that Jessica thinks I won't handle properly…"

"Jessica thinks?" Mohinder repeated. "So she is present in your subconscious even when she's not physically active?"

"I guess that's one way to describe it. I don't know exactly where she goes when she's not in charge, but sometimes when I look in the mirror I see her there…it's like she's just hiding inside of me waiting to come out…" She took a breath and looked close to tears before finding the strength to continue. "I thought I had her under control for a while, but she's come back and it's getting out of control again."

"When Jessica comes out, do you know what's going on?" Claire asked.

"No," Niki answered quickly. "It's like I've completely blacked out. I wake up as me again and I can't remember anything that happened while she was in control."

"So if she were to come out then it might seem like you, but she would be saying or doing things that were maybe a little mean or strange…" she clarified.

"That's right…" Niki had a suspicion that she knew what Claire was referring to. "And if that ever happens, you should ignore anything I say or do…"

"I think I met Jessica the other day."

"I think you did too," Niki agreed. "I'm sorry about that."

"It wasn't your fault." Claire thought about the conversation they had had during that strange lunch date and considered everything that had been discussed. "So you really don't remember what we talked about?"

Niki glanced at Nathan who avoided eye contact completely.

"No…not really…"

Claire picked up on the exchange between the two of them and quickly recovered the conversation. "I was just talking about some of my life things…nothing important really."

"Oh!" Niki looked at her gratefully. "Okay…"

There was another knock on the door, but this time Claire stayed put.

"Matt, are you expecting someone else?"

"Umm, no…I don't think so…" Matt hesitated and stood up. "I'll see who it is." He hurried to the door and opened it, knowing exactly who it was, but not at all ready for an explosion from Claire later about how he had deceived her. He hoped he wasn't wrong in plotting behind her back.

"Sorry I'm late." Peter stepped through the doorway and glanced past Matt into the crowded living room. He instantly spotted Claire on the couch and his heart pounded faster.

"No, it's cool, come have a seat…" Matt led him to the living room and motioned to an empty chair directly next to the couch, and despite the look he received from Claire, he sat down next to her.

Claire had to fight the urge to flee, which Peter and Matt both soon found out by reading her mind. Their equal curiosities couldn't restrain them.

_He tricked me. _

Matt saw her glaring at him and wondered how much angrier she would be if she knew he was also currently reading her mind.

_He promised me Peter wouldn't come, but he had this planned all along…I can't believe he's here. Of all the things that could go wrong tonight…_

Peter started questioning his decision to come to the meeting at Matt's request. He had known how upset Claire would be by his appearance, but he had been so desperate to see her that he thought he could ignore her feelings. Now he wasn't so sure.

_Dammit Matt. If you knew what he had done…_

Matt glanced at Peter, who was staring firmly at the floor.

_God I've missed him. _

Peter felt his heart pounding in his chest as he realized she was referring to him. Knowing that she had missed him almost made the pain of the past few weeks melt away.

Matt felt satisfied that Claire wouldn't resent him forever for bringing Peter to the meeting, so he withdrew from her mind and returned to the conversation that the others were now carrying on without his participation.

For almost an hour they discussed the details of Molly's nightmares, covering the deaths and torture she witnessed, and the recent appearance of Sylar. Throughout the entire discussion, Molly kept one hand firmly gripping Claire's and the other secured in Mohinder's. Mohinder, who hadn't been able to stay updated as much as he would like, was particularly alarmed by how vivid Molly's nightmares had become. Before he had left she was still only sensing most of the pain, and seeing brief flashes or vague outlines of people, but now she could describe every detail of the pain in a person's eyes as she was forced to witness their suffering and often death.

"Molly…" He hated having to talk to her about the specifics at all, but he had to know more to understand what was happening. "Do you have the feeling that these people you are seeing are actually dying when you see it, or do you believe he is making you see things that aren't necessarily happening?"

Molly shook her head. "Sometimes they really die, but other times I think he's just trying to warn me."

"Warn you about what?"

"About what will happen."

"How do you know that these people you see are real? Or that their pain is real?"

"I can see them."

"In your dreams, yes, but I wonder if this 'nightmare man' may simply be putting images into your head to make you believe you are seeing people who don't really exist."

Molly shook her head firmly. "Sometimes when I wake up, I can remember the people from my nightmares and so I look for them to make sure they're okay. Sometimes I find them, but other times they're already gone."

She squeezed Claire's hand and the older girl looked at Mohinder over Molly's head, signaling him with her eyes to stop questioning Molly, which he did.

"As much as I'd like to figure out who this nightmare man is, I'm mostly worried about Sylar right now." Claire spoke up quickly. "If he really is back…or coming back…we need to have a plan."

"I second that." Peter agreed quickly, but his speaking earned a glare from Claire.

Everyone was quiet for a moment and then Matt replied. "I'm not sure what sort of plan we can make, other than simply avoiding him at all times." When he saw the others' rolling their eyes and shaking their heads, he tried to rephrase his suggestion. "We should make sure to never be alone, and always be alert and aware that he could appear at any time, and he is dangerous."

"And if anyone does encounter him at any time, they should not attempt to engage him in battle," Mohinder agreed. "And the others should be notified immediately if he is spotted."

"Agreed," Claire chimed in.

"Claire, you need to be particularly careful," Mohinder warned her. "Sylar has always been intent on gaining your ability, and I'm sure his desire has only increased after Hiro stabbed him last year."

"Speaking of Hiro…" Claire frowned. "Has anyone heard from him since he vanished that night?"

"Umm, yea…" Peter spoke up. "I know where he is."

"You do?" Everyone was equally surprised.

"We've sort of been working together."

"Working together?" Matt repeated. "What are you working on?"

"It's a long story, and it's important, but I think it should wait for our next meeting. There are still some things that I need to work out before I explain it all to you guys…"

"You and Hiro are working on a secret project together?" Claire spoke to him despite her vow not to.

Peter seemed delighted to have a reason to look directly at her. "We have. Along with some other people…"

"Other people?"

"Who are these other people?" Mohinder questioned.

"It's a group of people…some with abilities…who have a mission…" he knew Claude wouldn't want him to be divulging the details of their operation just yet. "It's complicated, but they're good people, and they're doing good things. Just today they rescued a girl from a couple people who were trying to kidnap her for the company…"

Mohinder frowned. "Was she a young Japanese girl with an ability?"

"Yea, I think so. Why?"

He sighed. "Peter, they didn't rescue her. They stole her from my partner and me. We were trying to help her."

"You're working with the company?"

"Not exactly…" Mohinder felt all eyes turn to him. "The company learned of my work on Michael Monroe in Seattle, and they have since acquired my services in helping others who are infected with the virus."

"And how exactly did they acquire your services?" Matt asked, clearly skeptical.

"They can be very persuasive." Mohinder did not want to tell them that he had been threatened into working with Sasha.

Claire, who was the only one who knew about Mohinder's work, felt an obligation to defend him. "He's doing a good thing. He has been able to help a lot of people who are sick! And he's sort of like an inside connection to the Company now…"

"Well, I'm not actually inside them. I've never even met my employer. They sent Sasha to me in Seattle and she is my link to them, but sometimes I think she has more secrets than even they are aware of."

"She's clearly not the only one with secrets." Matt rubbed his hands over his face and stood up. "This meeting has gotten a lot more complicated than I expected it too. We all clearly have things going on in our lives that we don't feel like sharing with each other, so maybe we should just keep it that way."

"That's fine with me." Niki agreed quickly. Nathan sneaked a furtive glance at Niki, which Claire observed, but fortunately DL didn't.

"Fine." The others stood as well and started saying their 'goodbyes' for the evening.

Claire could feel Peter standing next to her, clearly determined not to move until she forced him to, but this time, she didn't want to force him away. Seeing him so unexpectedly had made her upset for a while, but she realized that she had decided to talk to him a while ago, but just hadn't worked up the nerve yet. Ever since her lunch with Niki…and even though she now knew she had been talking to Jessica…she still found value in what was said and she decided it was time to stop lying to herself and be honest with Peter.

"Peter…" she turned to him finally and motioned with her eyes toward the other room. He followed her direction eagerly, but before they had gotten too far, Mohinder accosted them.

"Peter, that girl that your people took today is infected with the virus. It's why I was at her apartment." Mohinder told him.

"How sick is she?" Peter's eyes showed the concern that he felt.

"She's still in the early stages. It's a miracle we learned about it so soon actually. I'm not sure how we did, but without proper care she will get worse, and quickly."

"The people that I work with won't let her go. Especially not to someone who's involved with the company."

"I understand that, and honestly I don't blame you at all. If there was a way around it for me, I would not be working with them either, but like I said they have ways of persuading you to do something you would rather not."

"How did they persuade you, Dr. Suresh?" Claire asked.

Mohinder's eyes traveled to Molly who was chatting happily with Niki and Micah.

"They threatened Molly?" Claire lowered her voice appropriately so no one else could hear.

"Bastards." Peter shook his head.

"I have a vial of medicine with me that you can give to Kyoto yourself. It won't be enough, but it will be a start and it should keep the virus under control for a while at least." Mohinder withdrew a small leather pouch from the inside pocket of his jacket. "Give this to her as soon as possible, and make sure she stays hydrated."

"I will." Peter took the medicine from Mohinder and put it into his own pocket.

Mohinder nodded appreciatively and returned to the others, leaving Claire and Peter alone. They finished relocating into the other room for complete privacy and then they stood staring at one another in silence.

"Well?" Claire finally spoke.

Peter said nothing.

"All this time, and all those phone calls begging to talk, and now I'm waiting here and you have nothing to say?" Claire sighed. "That's fine. I'll talk."

Peter looked a little surprised, but listened attentively.

"I'm sorry."

Now he looked at her with surprise. "What in the world could you have to be sorry about?"

"I shouldn't have ignored you for so long. It was wrong of me to shut you out like that when you were only trying to make things right."

"You were hurt and upset…"

"Don't try to justify it, Peter. I was wrong." Claire felt very firmly about that and he realized he wasn't going to change her mind. "What you did that night was obviously very wrong too. I think your thousands of apologies have proved that you feel that. You didn't do it intentionally, however, and so I don't feel that it's fair to hold you accountable for it."

"You don't?" He almost smiled, but was too afraid to get his hopes up yet.

"Everyone makes mistakes, and that's all that it was. It was a mistake, brought on by a lot of alcohol and a little bit too much emotion."

Peter wondered how much she had guessed of his emotions.

"But I forgive you, and I'd like to put that whole night behind us."

"Really?" He did smile now and he felt an instinctive desire to reach for her hand, but he restrained himself in time. "Thank you."

"I've missed seeing you, and holding this against you any longer is only going to hurt worse," she explained.

"I've missed you too."

"So, that being said, I think it would be good if you came to dinner tomorrow night. I know Nathan and Heidi would appreciate it, and the boys have missed seeing their uncle."

"Of course," he agreed quickly. "I would love to come."

"Peter, you need to know that I'm not going to be moving back in with you though."

"I didn't really expect you to. If you did ever want to though, I can guarantee you that nothing like that would ever happen again. As you said it was a mistake and it was stupid and irrational, and in the future…it would just never happen, okay?"

Claire looked down and just shrugged.

"You don't believe me?" He sighed. "If you don't believe me, then I can't believe that you've truly forgiven me."

"I have," she assured him.

"But you don't trust me."

"It's not that I don't trust you exactly…and it's not that I don't forgive you…"

"Then what is it? Please help me understand what's going through your head."

"I can't, Peter. Please don't ask me to explain." She looked up at him slowly and he saw tears in her eyes. He felt a desperate need to know what she wouldn't tell him and quickly invaded her mind.

_I didn't hate you for kissing me. I hated myself for wanting you to. If I move back in, I'm afraid I can't trust myself. _

When he pulled out of her thoughts, he knew instantly that she knew he had read her mind and she hurried away from him, clearly unable to face him any more. Peter didn't follow her; he didn't know what he would say.

"All right, we're leaving!" Niki led her family to the door and waved Claire over for a hug, which the younger girl obliged her with.

Peter stayed near the division of the other room, watching Claire hug everyone at the door, and he wondered if he would ever be able to hug her again like that.

"Claire, are you ready to leave?" Nathan was standing at the door, calling to his daughter as she pried herself away from Molly's clinging hug.

"Actually, I'm being picked up."

"By who?" Nathan demanded in his best fatherly voice of concern.

"By my boyfriend."

Peter knew that Claire was fighting the urge to look in his direction as she said it.

"Isn't it kind of late for a date?" Nathan questioned.

"We're going out for dessert, since I cancelled our planned date for tonight so I could come to the meeting. I'll be home in a couple hours."

"All right, but you should know that I'll be waiting up for you." Nathan warned. He looked outside and informed Claire that her 'escort' had just arrived. "Doesn't he drive?"

"What?" Claire came to the door and peered out.

"He never has a car."

"Yea, he doesn't own one. He likes to run…" Claire smiled and waved to the others who were still inside as she headed out to greet her boyfriend.

"Is she leaving already?" Mohinder realized she had gone outside. "I wanted to say 'goodbye'. I don't know how long it will be before I'm able to return." He hurried to the door and stepped outside to stop her. It was dark outside and he could just make out the form of Claire tightly embracing a tall young man on the sidewalk.

"You ready to go babe?" The young man's voice sounded familiar, but darkness hid his face.

"Claire!" When Mohinder called to her, she turned around and the young man looked up, letting the street light catch his face. "Good god!" he gasped, but fortunately was not heard by the two young people.

"Oh good!" Claire hurried back up the steps, dragging her boyfriend behind her. "Dr. Suresh, I want you to meet my boyfriend." She drew him forward and Mohinder knew there was no mistaking the familiar face now. "This is Jaden Hill. I met him when Matt was in the hospital. Jaden's a doctor."

Mohinder shook the young man's proffered hand as naturally as he could manage under the circumstances, but when Claire and Jaden hurried away again, waving at Mohinder in the dark, he could only think of how fooled they all had been.


	62. Who Matters Most?

_A/N: this update isn't very long, especially considering the last one, but I felt bad about how long I was taking so I decided to post what I have. Hopefully I'll be able to update again before long. Especially now that the new season has begun (yay!) I'm even more eager to keep writing. Thanks for the reviews!!_

SYLAR & EMILY

THEIR APARTMENT, NEW YORK CITY

"You'll find her Emily."

"We don't even know where to start anymore. There aren't any records of her after California. You said she was taken into federal custody, but she seems to have just vanished!"

"I'm sure that is for her own protection. Whoever is keeping her is probably hiding her so she'll be safe…" he couldn't bring himself to finish his thought, but Emily did it for him.

"Safe from you?"

"And others who could want to use her," he agreed. "Like the company."

"Oh God, if they get to her first…" Emily started to cry. "It's all my fault! I never should have left her."

"You were doing that for her own good," he reminded her. "It wouldn't have been safe for her with you at that time, and you know it. You had enough to worry about hiding yourself; it would have been impossible with a baby."

"She must hate me for abandoning her."

"I'm sure she doesn't hate you. In fact it's quite possible she doesn't even know…"

"What?" Emily looked up at him, suddenly horrified.

"Well, don't you think it's possible that no one ever told her she was adopted? She might think the people she lived with in California were her real parents."

Emily cried harder. "I never even considered that. She might not even know about me."

Sylar quickly realized his mistake and came to her side. "The moment she meets you though, I know she will love you."

"You don't know that."

"How could she not?"

Emily sniffed as her tears subsided. "I need to find her Gabriel."

"I know, and you will."

"Me? What about you? Aren't you going to help?"

Sylar stood and moved away from her quickly. He didn't speak, but he started to pace back and forth from the living room to the kitchen.

"Gabriel?" Emily watched him. "You told me you would help. You told me you wanted nothing as much as to see me reunited with Molly!"

"And that's true, but I can't help. You have to take it on your own from here."

She gaped at him.

"I just can't be involved anymore."

"So that's it then? As soon as things begin to get complicated, you give up?"

"It's not just complicated, Emily, it's impossible!" Sylar continued to pace without ever making eye contact with Emily. "You don't understand…if they knew I was here…"

"I can't believe it. I finally find a guy and he's evil."

"I'm not evil!" He protested. "At least…not anymore…I'm trying not to be…Emily I just want to make you happy, but this is something I can't do. Please don't ask it of me."

She stood from where she had been sitting on the couch and crossed to him, forcing him to stand still for a moment. "Gabriel, you have never made me anything but happy. Even when you told me about your past and I learned all the terrible things you had done, I never stopped loving you. You _have_ changed. You're not that person anymore, and I believe that if you let them, others will see the beautiful and good man that I see."

He smiled and pulled her into his arms for a hug, but when she couldn't see his face anymore, his smile faded and his eyes grew dark. _I did such horrible things. I hurt so many people. She doesn't even know what evil is. _

PETER & CLAUDE

CLAUDE'S APARTMENT-HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

"You really are a bloody idiot, you know that mate?" Claude leaned against a wall with his arms folded across his chest and his eyes brooding pensively.

"Thanks. I appreciate that." Peter leaned against the opposite wall with his chin up and his eyes narrowed. "I didn't do anything wrong."

"You disobeyed my orders."

"Okay, one, I don't take orders from you. Two, you never told me not to tell them."

"It was implied."

"Oh, right, now I'm supposed to be taking _implied_ orders." Peter shook his head. "Look, I'm here to help you guys and your mission, but if that means I'm supposed to stand here and have you lecture me for telling the truth to my friends, then forget it. I'm out." He started to leave the room, but Claude stopped him.

"I might have overreacted a bit."

"A bit?" Peter paused without turning back to him.

"I'm sorry, all right? You're right. You had no reason not to tell them about us, though in the future, it'd be best if you kept your mouth shut."

Peter rolled his eyes and left the room. In the living room, most of the group was waiting, pretending not to be at all interested in the conversation they knew was taking place in the bedroom, but as soon as Peter stepped out to join them, they all looked away from the door and pretended to be absorbed in conversations with each other.

"Nice knowing all you, but I'm out!" Peter waved to the group and grabbed his jacket from the chair where he had left it. He only made it a few feet towards the door before Sarah was at his side.

"Peter, what do you mean you're out? What happened?"

"Claude and I aren't seeing eye to eye anymore." Peter looked over Sarah's head to where Claude was emerging from the bedroom.

"But Peter, you can't just leave!" Sarah grabbed his arm. "We need you. I need you! What about my brother?"

"I have other commitments, Sarah. You know that."

"Other commitments?" She laughed. "Why are these other commitments suddenly so important to you? For the last six weeks you've barely mentioned them, and suddenly they're so important that you're leaving us…"

Peter glared at her and pulled his arm free. He couldn't explain to Sarah, or to anyone else, how Claire, by speaking to him, had given him permission to make her a priority again—even if she didn't realize it.

"What about me? What about us? Don't I mean anything to you?"

"Sarah, don't make this harder than it has to be. I enjoy knowing you and I'd like to see you still, but I can't be a part of this team…"

"I'm a part of this team though, and I can't be your girlfriend and ignore the fact that you abandoned the rest of them…" she looked back to the others who were once again pretending not to listen.

"He's not going to abandon anyone." Claude spoke up finally. "His pride's been wounded a bit that's all. Once he gets over himself, he'll come back around. No worries."

Sarah didn't look convinced. Her height was comparable to Peter, and now she stared directly into his eyes. "Don't I mean anything to you?"

"Of course you do," he assured her. "But I'm trying to see the bigger picture…"

She kissed him quickly, but his cell phone rang and he cut the kiss short to check the caller ID. His eyes lit up when he saw the name and he stepped back from Sarah.

"I've got to go. I'll call you, okay?" He exited the apartment and she watched him go.

"He'll be back." Claude told her.

"He didn't feel sad," she said. "Not at all. He felt no remorse about leaving me." If her tears had matched her emotions at that moment, she would have sobbed, but Sarah had never been one to cry, so she simply shook her head and returned to the living room to join the others.

After leaving the apartment, Peter wasted no time in answering his call.

"Hi Claire."

"_Hey you!" _Claire's voice was as chipper as it used to be. He had almost forgotten how happy she could be.

"It's good to hear your voice."

"_Yea, you too." _

"So, are we still on for dinner tonight?"

"_You mean the family dinner at Nathan's, right?" _

"Right…what else would I mean?"

"_I know that tone, Peter. It's a dangerous tone." _

"It's not dangerous. It's completely innocent."

"_You and I are not having dinner alone…ever. Remember?" _

"I know."

"_I'll see you at dinner tonight." _

"I can't wait."

"_Me either."_

Peter stayed on the phone until he heard the _click_ from Claire's end of the line. It took her a few minutes and he knew she was listening for him to hang up. It reminded him of the conversations they used to have before the fight, and for a moment he could almost forget about the time they hadn't been speaking.

ANGELA AND MR. OKENBERG

HEADQUARTERS, LONDON

"We have to find them."

"Clearly," Angela tapped her manicured-nails against the window as she stared out contemplatively. "Yet, we all remember how well Andrea can hide herself when she doesn't want to be found."

"She goes by Emily now…"

"Yes, I know that." Angela "What her name is, or what she's been calling herself is irrelevant. She undoubtedly has a new name by now anyway."

"Do you believe she is still with Mr. Gray?"

"If Sylar has told her the truth, I couldn't imagine she would stay with him. If he hasn't told her the truth, it's only a matter of time before she figures it out."

"Angela, I'm afraid there is something else you need to know…"

"More bad news?"

"Well…yes…I'm afraid you won't be too happy about it."

"What is it?" Angela turned and gave him her full attention.

"It seems your son has reconciled with your granddaughter."

"Nathan and Claire? Were they fighting?"

"I wasn't referring to Nathan…" he paused. "Peter and Claire have made up."

"How did that happen? I thought you had assigned someone to make sure that didn't happen!"

"Jaden did the best he could, but I believe we all underestimated how deep the connection between Peter and Claire actually is."

"He's stubborn, and so is she." She smiled a little. "Stubbornness runs in the family."

"We do have some good news, however."

"Tell me."

"After excessive DNA testing, it has officially been decided that Molly Walker—you remember the girl Thompson had Dr. Suresh working with last year?"

Angela nodded. "Of course."

"Well, it has been decided that she is Emily's long lost daughter."

"Are you absolutely certain?"

"The results are positively confirmed."

"This does change things, doesn't it? I think it's time to pay another visit to the little dear's dreams." Mr. Okenberg hesitated when Angela started towards the door. "Is something wrong?"

"When Dr. Suresh agreed to partner with Sasha, we made him a promise…"

Angela stared at him without expression.

"We gave him our word that we would leave Molly alone."

"Our word?" Angela smirked. "Since when has that meant anything?"

Mr. Okenberg shrugged, but still hesitated. "I simply worry that if we break our word, he might break his in regards to his arrangement with us."

"He wouldn't dare." Angela arched an eyebrow and smiled maliciously as a thought developed in her mind. "There is more than one person he holds dear in his life."


	63. People Pleading

PETER, NATHAN, & CLAIRE

PETRELLI RESIDENCE, NEW YORK

"And then I looked down and instead of shoes, there were books strapped to my feet, and I was trying to run through the snow…" Claire broke down into a fit of giggles and had to stop talking.

Peter and Nathan stared at her, slightly confused, and slightly amused.

"And I thought I had strange dreams." Nathan grinned. "You win though."

"Speaking of strange dreams," Peter spoke up. "I had one last night."

"Oh?" Claire turned to him quickly. "Tell us about it."

"There's nothing really to tell…I mean it was just a dream."

"Come on, I told mine!"

Peter had almost forgotten how difficult it was to refuse anything Claire asked. He stared into her pleading green eyes and gave in easily. "Well, there was this man, and he kept asking for my help."

"That's it?" Nathan snickered.

"It was weird."

"How so?" Claire at least pretended to be more interested than Nathan, encouraging Peter to continue with his explanation.

"The way he asked…it was like he knew me, but at the same time he seemed afraid of me."

"Did you know him?"

"I never saw his face. That was possibly the strangest part." Peter shrugged. "His voice sounded familiar though." He glanced at Nathan and then looked away. "To be honest, he sounded a bit like dad."

"Dad?" Nathan wasn't laughing anymore. "Pete…"

"I know." Peter sighed. "You think I'm revisiting my grief through my dreams or some psychobabble like that, right?"

Nathan gave Peter an understanding smile. "I don't know. Maybe."

"Whatever. It was just a dream."

The phone rang in Nathan's office and he quickly excused himself to answer, leaving Peter and Claire alone for the first time that night.

"I didn't think he was ever going to leave."

"Yea…" Claire hesitated, suddenly nervous that she was alone with Peter after so much time. "Umm, do you want some more water…" she stood quickly and reached for his half-empty glass.

"Claire…" He took hold of her wrist, preventing her from leaving.

She pulled her hand away instinctively and he cleared his throat awkwardly, instantly regretting his decision to touch her at all. Her emotions were radiating off her like flames; the shame and regret and pain…it was almost unbearable.

"I'm so sorry."

"For what?" Claire took her seat again and tried to smile at him.

"I know that my being here is making you feel things…things that make you uncomfortable…"

"Are you reading my mind?"

"No. I don't have to. I can sense it in your emotions."

"That's new."

"Yea. I got it from Sarah…" he paused when he realized she had no idea who Sarah was. "She's one of the girls that I work with…" he stared directly into Claire's eyes. "We've been dating."

The shock of his statement forced Claire to look away briefly. He could sense a new emotion on her, but wasn't quite sure what to make of it. Possibly anger, or frustration…

"That's great Peter. I didn't realize you were dating anyone."

"It's not really that serious. Actually, I think we might've broke up."

"Really?"

"I think she was taking it too seriously, but I had warned her from the beginning…"

"Warned her about what?"

"That I wasn't looking for a real relationship."

"Why not?"

"She's just not the right person for me."

"Why not?"

Peter hated all her questions because he couldn't give her the true answer, so he just stopped answering her completely. She understood his silence and stopped asking.

"Well, Jaden and I are doing really well."

"You are?" Peter had almost forgotten about her boyfriend. Hearing his name reminded Peter of the Claire he had met in the future—the one who had told him to 'kill Jaden.' "Are you sure?"

She frowned. "Of course I'm sure. He adores me. And I think…" she stopped.

"What?"

"Never mind. It's not important."

He looked at her skeptically. "Claire, are you in love with him?"

They both fell silent as Nathan returned to the room suddenly.

"Sorry about that. Where were we?" He smiled and took his seat.

Peter and Claire were both silent and Nathan knew he had interrupted something.

"I don't know if this is the best time to bring it up, but someone has to…" Nathan looked from Claire to Peter slowly. "Sweetheart, are you going to be staying here with me, or are you going back to Peter's now that you're speaking again?"

Peter focused his stare on his food and let Claire answer.

"No Nathan," she told him quickly. "I was planning on staying here. If that's okay with you…" she looked at him hopefully.

"Of course it's okay with me!" He looked relieved. "I've really enjoyed having you here—we all have. Pete's just going to have to come around more often."

"Don't worry, I will." Peter smiled slightly at Claire, but he felt her getting uncomfortable again and looked away.

"Daddy…"

Everyone looked towards the door where Monty stood calling for his dad.

"Why aren't you asleep?" Nathan asked.

"I had a nightmare and it woke me up," Monty explained.

"Do you need me to come put you back to bed?" Nathan started to stand, but noticed his son shaking his head. "What do you need, son?"

Monty turned his round eyes towards Claire.

"Do you want me to tuck you back in?" She asked sweetly.

He nodded.

Claire stood obligingly and took Monty's hand. "Come on…let's go." She led him from the room and back up the stairs to his bedroom; his brother slept in the next room.

Monty climbed back into bed obediently as Claire folded down the blankets for him. She sat on the side of the bed as he started getting himself comfortable.

"Do you want to talk about your nightmare?" Claire asked him softly as she pulled the blankets up to his chin. For a moment she felt like she was back at Peter's apartment tucking Molly in after one of her nightmares, and she realized how much she missed that routine.

"No, it's okay…" he let out a deep breath and rolled onto his side. "I've already forgotten most of it."

Claire smiled. She was glad that Monty's nightmares were the normal sort, and nothing like the horrible ones that haunted Molly for weeks after she had them.

"Do you want me to stay with you until you fall asleep?"

Monty's eyes traveled past Claire, towards the door of his bedroom. She turned around and spotted Peter hovering in the doorway watching them. Claire realized he was staring at her, and not Monty, and she did her best to ignore the intensity of his gaze. Turning back to Monty, she repeated the motion of tucking her half-brother in tightly.

"Are you going to be all right now?"

Monty nodded and smiled a little. "Thank you Claire."

She leaned down and kissed his forehead before joining Peter in the hallway; she closed Monty's door softly.

"Where's Nathan?"

"Downstairs."

"We should go and join him."

"Claire, please talk to me."

"We are talking."

"Stop, please!" He touched her arm, and again pulled away.

She stopped and looked at him. "Peter, you're asking too much of me."

"I'm just asking for you to talk to me! To trust me like you used to."

"Things aren't like they used to be. I've forgiven you and decided to put that night out my mind, but things are never going to be how they used to be again." Tears came into her eyes and she couldn't hide them. "I'm happy with Jaden. I think I love Jaden, but when you're around…" she shook her head. "We shouldn't be alone together."

Peter hadn't even realized that while she was talking he had taken her hand and was now holding it tightly. He didn't let go this time.

"You can't love Jaden."

"Why not?" She didn't try to pull her hand away.

"He's not good for you."

"Oh really? And who is?" She stared hard at him as though daring him to give her an actual answer.

Peter knew he couldn't tell her what he wanted to say, and he finally dropped her hand. "Please, just trust me Claire. Don't let yourself fall for him."

"He's not a bad guy. You just don't trust him because you're jealous." As soon as she said it, she regretted it. "I'm going to go downstairs now."

"Claire…"

She shook her head at him and continued downstairs.

ANGELA PETRELLI

COMPANY HEADQUARTERS, LONDON

"What do you mean 'no'?"

"That little girl's been put through enough. I won't do it."

"You won't do it?" Angela laughed coldly. "You will do what you are told."

"And if I don't?"

"Oh Arthur," Angela smiled and shook her head. "My poor, dear husband. If you had any real power against me you wouldn't be locked up in here, would you? There is no one to help you. Nobody is on your side here, and outside of here, no one even knows you're alive."

Arthur Petrelli let out a sigh and looked away from his wife. In his mind he tried to pretend that they had never married, but she insisted on wearing that damn ring and playing the pathetic part of the grieved widow. He hated her, but he knew he was helpless in his current situation.

"Send her the dreams, Arthur," Angela demanded. "Do it now." She left his cell and closed and bolted the door. She then stood outside the cell watching through the window as her husband closed his eyes and began to concentrate, as she had seen him do so many times before.

Grateful that his wife did not have the power to get inside his head, Arthur continued taking the small liberties that he had started a couple weeks ago. He knew it would be a process, especially after all the pain he had been the child through, but he was determined to be patient and in the end he hoped he could win her trust.

Arthur focused hard on Molly Walker's mind as she slumbered peacefully thousands of miles away, but instead of giving her the nightmares that she had seen for so long, he sent her a plea for help.

MOHINDER

BOISE, IDAHO

"_Hello?" _

"Hello Peter."

"_Mohinder. I have to admit, I'm surprised to be hearing from you. After we last saw each other I didn't think you'd want to talk to me ever again." _

"It's important."

"_It usually is. What do you need?" _

"Actually there are a couple things."

"_I'm listening." _

"I need to know more about the girl."

"_The one that we saved from the company?" _

"The one that is infected and I was trying to help."

"_Sorry, but I actually can't help you much with that. I'm not a part of their group right now." _

"Did something happen?"

"_They weren't too pleased with my telling all of you about them. I don't think they trust me right now. Besides, I've never been good with secret organizations; there are too many secrets. I'd rather be a part of a team that trusts each other and works together." _

"I see."

"_If you want to know more about her, you should talk to Hiro, or even Claude. He's the ringleader of the group. I'll tell Hiro to give you a call." _

"Thank you."

"_What else did you want to talk about?" _

"Claire."

"_What about her?" _

"There's no need to sound so defensive. I am concerned about her safety and I'm not sure whether or not I should discuss it with her."

"_What exactly are you referring to?" _

"Her boyfriend, Jaden, he can't be trusted."

"_Well I agree, but do you have any proof?" _

"He's my partner's boyfriend."

"_What do you mean?"_

"He's using Claire. She's a part of some plan, but I haven't figured it out yet. All I know is that he doesn't really care about her."

"_That bastard. I knew he was evil, but I didn't know why." _

"Should I tell her?"

"_No. I don't think so. Not yet. I know Claire, and I know she won't believe anything we say until we have some substantial proof." _

"What should we do?"

"_You need to keep a close eye on your partner and try to find out everything you can about her and her plan with Jaden. I'll try to follow Jaden and see what I can find out." _

"All right."

"_Thank you for calling me, Mohinder." _

"Anytime."


	64. Does she need protection?

_A/N: I know I've been gone forever! I'm so ashamed, but senior year has taken over my life. I'll be graduating in 8 weeks! Wow. No clue what comes next, but hopefully some more time for fun writing. Anyway, I know this isn't too long, especially considering how long I've been away, but I'm writing when I can, and updating what I have. Hopefully I'll be able to get back into a more regular routine, but bear with me! XOXOXO_

HIRO & KYOKO

CLAUDE'S APARTMENT-HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

"Can I get you anything?" Hiro stood in front of the trembling girl nervously; he felt his heart racing and hoped he wasn't blushing.

She had been silent for nearly an hour. He felt concerned for her, like he had never felt for anyone else before.

"Water? Or a blanket?"

A slight smile tugged at her lips and she finally lifted her head toward him. Hiro was continually struck by her beautiful features. It wasn't that she was simply beautiful, but there was something very familiar—very comforting—about her face that made him want to smile. Her soft brown eyes glimmered with the faintest trace of tears, but her smile didn't fail. Her lips drew his eyes to them, and he was taken by how perfectly full and smooth they were. He couldn't explain his sudden desire to touch them, and the thought made him ashamed.

"Thank you." Her voice was always sweet, and it made Hiro close his eyes for a moment to enjoy the sound fully.

"For what?"

"For being so kind to me."

"I just want you to be happy."

Kyoko continued to smile at him, making him so uncomfortable that he finally had to look away.

"Are you sure you don't need anything?"

"I just need a minute to calm down."

Hiro stood in front of her quietly, letting her have her moment. She took a deep breath and finally stopped trembling.

"I'm better now."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I should probably talk to Claude. He always likes to know what I see."

"Yes, you should talk to Claude." Hiro glanced towards the bedroom where Claude had locked himself away; he always locked himself away these days. "He seems busy now though. You could talk to me…"

Kyoko gave him another soft smile and nodded. "I would like that, but I don't think he would like it very much."

"Maybe we shouldn't care so much what he thinks."

"Hiro." Hiro turned quickly at the sound of Claude's booming voice. "I would like to speak with Kyoko now."

Hiro obliged him by backing away from the girl and letting Claude step forward.

"Ready?"

Kyoko's eyes briefly glanced past Claude to Hiro as he slowly backed out of the room. He caught her eyes and smiled eagerly, but her expression showed worry and his smile faded quickly. He didn't want to leave her, but he couldn't explain why. There was nothing particular about his relationship with Kyoko that should give him a reason to stay—he didn't even have a relationship with Kyoko—but something in her eyes made it impossible for him to leave her. Since she didn't seem to wish for the privacy, he chose to stay, but lingered in the background so Claude wouldn't notice him.

"You had a vision?" Claude asked Kyoko.

She nodded.

"What did you see?"

"I saw a young woman and a little girl. They were running from something…" she paused and squeezed her eyes shut. "Or maybe they were running towards something. It is unclear."

"Try to understand it better."

"It doesn't work that way," Kyoko told him. "I can't understand what I do not see."

"Then try to see it better," Claude pressed.

She squeezed her eyes more tightly and a small vein shown on her forehead, brought out by the intense concentration. Hiro didn't like how hard she was focusing; he was afraid it would hurt her somehow.

"I think they are running towards someone else…" she murmured. "A man is there in the shadows. He is waiting for them. They seem frantic, but not scared of him. Anxious, perhaps." She continued to look inside her own mind for the answers Claude wanted. "The little girl is looking over her shoulders. I think they are running from someone also."

"Where are they?" Claude wanted to know.

"New York, definitely. Central Park it looks like. There are trees, and behind them, skyscrapers. It's dusk. There is wind in the trees. The woman is crying." She gasped and her eyes opened suddenly. "I'm sorry…that's all I can see."

Claude's body was tight; he was clearly unsatisfied.

"You did good, Kyoko." Hiro spoke up, despite his instinct to stay quiet.

Claude nodded stiffly. "We need more detail on the people you saw. Can you draw them?"

"I don't draw," she admitted.

"Can you describe them?"

"Yes, I think so. The little girl best perhaps. I only saw the woman's profile, and the man was in shadow."

"All right," Claude nodded. "We'll get someone in here who can draw it for you then. We need to know who those people are and why you're seeing they're future." He returned to his room and shut the door, pulling out his cell phone instantly and dialing a number from memory. She answered immediately.

"_I thought I told you not to call unless it was an emergency." _

"I know."

"_Is this an emergency, Claude?" _

"No…I don't think so. I hope not."

"_Claude. I told you it was too great a risk for you to contact me unnecessarily. If they were to somehow pick up on this phone call and trace it to me…" _

"You'd make sure they never did."

"_You shouldn't put so much confidence in my abilities. One day they might fail." _

"Hana, you can't fail me."

"_Then stop putting the operation at risk." _

"I needed to make sure you were safe."

"_Safe? Of course I'm safe." _

Claude sighed. "And you're assignment…"

"_She's safe as well." _

"Are you absolutely certain?"

"_I'm positive. No one has been near her. She's perfectly safe." _

Claude was silent for a minute and Hana did her best to interpret his silence.

"_I know you're worried about her, but you sent me down here for a reason and now you have to trust that I am capable of protecting her." _

"Hana, you and I both know that if anyone did actually show up, you'd be incapable of doing much to stop them."

"_But I would inform you immediately and you would send others." _

"I know."

"_Claude, what's brought this on? Why are you calling me now? It's been weeks since we've spoken." _

"We have a new member of our group."

"_And?" _

"She sees things."

"_Did she see me?" _

"No…I don't know…maybe. The details are all a bit fuzzy, but she saw a woman and a girl and they were running…scared…"

"_Claude, nothing has happened here. Meredith is safe and she hasn't made any contact with Claire." _

"All right. Keep me updated though, yea?"

"_I promise." _

"Thank you Hana."

"_Good bye now Claude." _

Claude hung up with Hana and rejoined the others in the living room. "Kyoko, the woman in your vision, and the girl…do they have blonde hair?"

Kyoko glanced up and shook her head. "The woman's hair is red and the girl's is dark."

Claude felt as though he could finally breathe completely.

MICAH HAWKINS

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, NEW YORK

Micah sat alone at his lunch table outside, eating the sandwich he had made that morning for his lunch. He was fine with the silence of being alone, but he missed Molly's company. She hadn't shown up for school that day though, and she was the only friend he cared to keep.

"Hello there."

Micah ears perked up at the voice, but he only inclined his head slightly and didn't turn around. He wasn't eager to invite conversation, especially since the voice was unfamiliar.

"Micah?"

He had to acknowledge the man as he sat down at the table across from Micah, so he nodded briefly.

"Hello, I'm Mr. Watkins, the new guidance counselor."

Micah nodded again, but didn't say anything. He eyed the man with skepticism.

"Why don't you call me Kenny?"

"Is that your name?" Micah asked.

Mr. Watkins nodded. "It is. I thought maybe it would be nice if we could talk casually, like friends."

"I don't know you," Micah told him. "We're not friends at all."

"Would you like to be?" Mr. Watkins smiled. "I've noticed you don't seem to have any friends, Micah."

"I have friends."

"I'm sure you do, but you are sitting here all by yourself…"

"My friend isn't here," Micah explained.

"Then you wouldn't mind me sitting here with you for a little bit, would you?"

"I guess not." Micah continued eating, keeping his eyes on his food.

"Micah, would you mind if we talked for a minute?"

Micah looked up again, feeling once again skeptical. "About what?"

"Well, you're one of our newer students here, and no one really knows much about you and your family and what brought you here," Mr. Watkins started. "I was hoping to ask you a few questions. Would that be all right?"

Micah didn't want to agree, but he nodded anyway, and started silently practicing the stories his family had made up for situations exactly like this.

"Where were you before here?" Mr. Watkins asked.

"My family lived in Nevada before here."

"And how many are in your family?"

"It's just my parents and me."

"What do your parents do?"

Micah hesitated for a moment before answering. "My dad does construction and my mom works at a restaurant."

"Do you live far from school?"

Micah hesitated again and then shook his head. "Not too far."

"What sort of things do you like Micah?"

"Like hobbies?"

Mr. Watkins nodded. "Sure hobbies…or do you have any special talents?"

"Talents?" Micah repeated. "No, I don't have any talents."

Mr. Watkins considered him for a moment and then spoke again, keeping his voice perfectly casual. "What do you know about your friend Molly? Does she have any special talents?"

"Why do you want to know Mr. Watkins?"

"I told you to call me Kenny."

"I'm more comfortable addressing you formally, Mr. Watkins."

"Whatever you prefer." He paused again and then continued. "So, your friend Molly…"

"I'm sorry Mr. Watkins, but if you want to know about Molly you'll have to ask her yourself." Micah stood quickly. "I have to go now, Mr. Watkins." Micah hurried away from the guidance counselor, depositing his trash in a bin as he passed. He kept hurrying until he had passed through the school and arrived out front, where he knew he would be completely alone; kids didn't usually go out front during school hours. Once he was alone, he pulled out his cell phone and used his speed dial.

"_Micah? What's wrong? Why are you calling during school? Did something happen?" _

"Mom, I'm okay, calm down." Micah looked around, just to be safe.

"_What's going on?" _

"I just needed to run something by you…"

"_Okay?" _

"I was having lunch by myself because Molly didn't come to school today, and this man came up to me and started asking me a bunch of questions."

"_What sort of man?" _

"He said he is the guidance counselor. I've never seen him before."

"_What sort of questions?" _

"Well, that's what was strange. He was asking me a lot of personal questions about our family and our past, and then he wanted to know if I had any special talents…" Micah hesitated. "And then he asked me about Molly."

"_What about Molly?" _

"He wanted to know if she had any special talents either."

"_What did you tell him?" _

"Nothing. I made an excuse and left. He made me uncomfortable and I didn't like the questions he was asking." Micah hesitated. He didn't want to give his mom any reason to overreact, but he had to tell her. "Mom, I don't think he was really a guidance counselor."

MOLLY & MATT

MATT'S HOUSE, NEW YORK

"Matt?" Molly called out the moment she had the front door opened.

"In here, sweetheart."

Molly dumped her shopping bags in the living room and ran into the kitchen where he was calling from and greeted him with a hug.

"Hey there." He returned the hug. "Did you and Claire have a good day together?"

"We did," she announced. "Being with Claire is so much better than being in school."

"Yea? Well don't get used to it. I only let you skip this once, remember?"

Molly smiled. "I remember." She yawned.

"Are you tired?"

"A little."

"Did Claire wear you out with all that shopping, or are you just not getting enough sleep?"

"I'm sleeping fine."

"Molly, one of the great things about having you live here with me is that I don't need to read your mind anymore to know when you're lying to me." He sighed. "Did you sleep at all last night?"

"A little."

"Molly? Do I need to read your mind?"

"After the nightmare I didn't sleep at all," she confessed.

Matt pulled a plate of brownies from the refrigerator and a carton of milk. "Let's talk about it." He poured them both a glass of milk and handed the plate of brownies to Molly. "Into the living room, young lady."

Molly obediently returned to the living room, placed the brownies on the coffee table, and took a seat on one of the couches. Matt sat across from her, looking serious.

"Tell me about your nightmare last night."

"Actually, it wasn't really a nightmare like usual," she told him. "Maybe that's why it kept me up all night."

"Wait, now you're not sleeping because you're not having nightmares?"

"Sort of…" she hesitated. "The dreams made me confused, so that's why I wasn't sleeping."

"Molly, what did you dream about?"

"I saw the Nightmare Man."

"And he didn't scare you?"

"He did at first, but then it was different. He showed me things, but not scary things like usual. He showed me some people, but he wasn't hurting them."

"What was he doing to them?"

"Nothing. He just showed them to me. And then he focused on himself."

"And then what happened?"

"He started talking to me," Molly explained. "He told me not to be afraid, and he said he needed my help."

"And you trust him?"

She was quiet.

"Molly, sweetheart, you can't trust him! He's been torturing you for months with these nightmares. This could be just one more tactic at getting inside your mind!"

"Why would he ask for my help though?" She wondered. "It doesn't make sense. Usually he's making an effort to avoid being seen completely and now suddenly he's just there, asking for my help! He's not trying to hide anymore at all."

"That's why it's dangerous. He's clearly up to something."

"You don't know that!"

"Molly…" Matt didn't want to sound angry, but he needed her to understand that he was worried about the situation. She wasn't taking it seriously enough at all and that scared him. "Don't trust him. Please."

She was still quiet, but she nodded slowly.

"Molly, I'm serious." He leaned towards her. "The next time he comes to you, I don't want you to listen to anything he says. And when you wake up, come to me right away and tell me everything he said."

"Okay."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

"Good, now tell me all about your day with Claire."

SASHA & MOHINDER

CHICAGO

"_I think I'm losing her." _

"Losing her is not an option, Jaden." Sasha kept her voice low, but took a few steps further away from Mohinder to be certain he wouldn't overhear.

"_It's not really my choice." _

"Look, I just need a few more weeks with Mohinder before I completely understand how this virus works. He's giving me all the information we need! We won't need him much longer, and then we can take action." She glanced towards the baggage carousal and saw that Mohinder was still waiting.

"_We might not have a few weeks." _

"Claire is crucial to our plan dammit! If you lose her, we're screwed."

"_You think I don't know that?" _

Sasha took a moment to collect her thoughts. "Once Angela Petrelli finds out that you've stopped succeeding in your assignment, she will take you off this case. She will put someone else on it before we even have a chance to act. Claire is too important for them to lose, but she's even more important for us. We can't risk letting someone else take your job."

"_I know, but I don't know what to do. I think she's losing interest in me." _

"Really?"

"_She's a teenage girl, Sasha. She's not obligated to be interested in the same guy for eternity. Besides, Peter's back in her life now." _

"Then get him out of her life. I don't care what it takes, Jaden. Do whatever it takes to make her interested in you again. _Whatever_ it takes." Mohinder had retrieved their luggage and was heading towards Sasha. "I have to go. Don't call me again until you have good news." She hung up before he could argue and turned to Mohinder with a pleasant smile. "All set?"

PETER PETRELLI & CLAIRE BENNET

PETRELLI MANSION, NEW YORK

"Claire?"

She shut her eyes and took a deep breath to steady her nerves as she heard his footsteps coming up the steps. He called out again, but she still didn't answer; she knew her voice would be shaky and she didn't want him to hear it. When he knocked on her bedroom door, however, she finally cleared her throat and responded.

"Come in." Looking in the mirror, she saw Peter push open the door and peek his head in.

"Didn't you hear me calling?"

Claire sighed and turned away from the mirror. "I heard."

"Okay…" he entered her room, but stayed near the door. "Is everything okay?"

"Nathan's not here."

"Yea, I know."

"Nobody else is here," Claire told him.

"So? I came here to see you."

She nodded. "I know."

He sat down on her bed. "I thought we were friends again."

"We are friends, Peter," she assured him. "I'm just not sure we're ready to be alone together yet."

"Don't you trust me?" His eyes showed such sincerity and desperation that Claire felt drawn to comfort him. She wanted to curl up on the bed with him and let him wrap her up in his arms and whisper soothing things into her ear like he used to before things changed.

"Peter…you should go."

He sighed. "I thought we were going to try again Claire."

"We are trying. We're trying to be friends, but you can't be here in my room like this. It's not right."

"I'm just sitting here!"

Claire moved to the door and motioned for him to leave. "Jaden's going to be here any minute, and I think it would be best if you weren't here when he comes."

"Jaden?" He stood suddenly. "He's coming here?"

"Yes."

"But you're here alone."

"Yea…."

"I don't think it's a good idea for the two of you to be here alone."

"He's my boyfriend," she reminded him. "We're allowed to be alone together."

Peter hesitated. "I really don't think it's a good idea, Claire."

"It doesn't really matter what you think though, does it?" She left the room and headed down the stairs.

He followed quickly. "Claire, please!"

"Peter." She pulled her arm away when he tried to take hold of it. "I don't want to hear your opinion of Jaden, and if you're only going to be critical, I would rather you left."

He obediently headed to the front door. "Be careful, Claire."

"Careful?" She repeated. "With what?"

"With Jaden."

"Seriously?" She rolled her eyes. "Goodbye Peter."

He opened the door and found Jaden waiting on the doorstep.

"Oh, hello," Jaden gave a curt smile.

Peter didn't reply, but narrowed his eyes at Jaden and stood in the doorway, blocking the way.

"Come on in Jaden," Claire shoved Peter out of the way. "Peter was just leaving."

Jaden stepped inside, leaving Peter on the doorstep, and wrapped both his arms around Claire's waist. He stared hard at Peter who was clearly not interested in leaving.

"I'll call you tomorrow," Peter told Claire.

"Fine."

Jaden started kissing Claire's neck and Peter quickly left. Once he was out of sight, Claire pulled a little away from Jaden. She closed the door and headed into the family room with Jaden close on her heels.

"So, I've been thinking about tomorrow night…"

"Yea?" Claire took a seat on the couch and he sat close to her.

"It's your prom, right?"

"Well yea, but I'm not going…"

"I know. And I feel bad about that, so I think you and I should do something special to make up for it."

"Like what?"

He grinned. "It's a surprise."

"You already have a plan?"

"Yep."

Claire felt strangely indifferent to his planned surprise, but she nodded and tried to convince him of her excitement as they settled in to watch a movie.

Two hours later, the movie was just at its end when the door to the family room opened and Nathan stepped in. He flipped on the light and stared hard at Jaden, who had taken the liberty of pulling Claire tight to himself the moment she had fallen asleep. Nathan cleared his throat loudly and Claire started to wake.

"It's late," Nathan said.

Jaden nodded. "Yes Sir, it is."

Claire blinked a couple times and craned her neck around to see Nathan. When she realized how close Jaden was holding her, she pulled away from him and sat up.

"Hey Nathan…" she smiled, but she felt a little humiliated to have let her dad catch her in that intimate of a possession with her boyfriend, even though they weren't actually doing anything to be ashamed of.

"I think it's time to call it a night," Nathan decided.

Claire stood and nodded. "Sure, of course." She glanced down at Jaden. "I'll see you tomorrow."

He stood and glanced briefly at Nathan before kissing Claire. He held it longer than she, or Nathan thought was necessary, and then left with only a slight nod towards Nathan.

"Okay…" Claire turned off the television and started to move past Nathan, but he followed her immediately up to her bedroom. "Umm…did you and Heidi have a good night out?"

"Oh my evening was very nice, but don't think we're not discussing what just happened down there."

"What do you mean?" She entered her bedroom and considered closing the door on Nathan, but he quickly entered behind her.

"I know I'm still new at being your father, but I know I have a right to be uncomfortable with what I just saw."

"We weren't doing anything wrong," Claire protested.

"And thank God I came home when I did or who knows what might have happened."

"Nathan, nothing happened, and nothing was going to happen."

He shook his head. "How can you be so certain? You were sound asleep and he had made himself quite comfortable…"

"Nathan, stop." Claire turned to him with her hands on her hips. "I really don't think you want to have this conversation, but since you won't let it drop…Jaden and I have never had sex. At this time, I have no intentions of having sex with him. Is there anything else you want to know?"

"Claire, I realize you are a very responsible young woman, but Jaden is older than you and he may have very different expectations."

"Jaden would never expect me to do something I wasn't ready for."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Nathan, I don't feel comfortable talking to you about this." Claire moved to her door and motioned for him to leave. "My relationship is none of your business."

Nathan wanted to respond, but he could think of nothing else to say, so he moved to the door. "Goodnight sweetheart."

Claire stopped him before he left. "I'm sorry I snapped at you. I know you're just concerned." She gave him a hug and he kissed her forehead before leaving.

Nathan walked slowly down the hallway and heard Claire close her door completely before he reached the stairs. He hurried down the stairs and into his office, shutting the door for privacy before making his phone call.

"_Hello?" _

"Noah." Nathan kept his voice low even though his door was shut and Claire was two floors above him.

"_Nathan? I have to admit I'm a little surprised to be hearing from you. I had thought maybe Claire was calling…" _

"She's already gone to bed. I needed to talk to you about something."

"_I'm assuming this is something I should keep from Claire?" _

"Perhaps. This is a little awkward for me to even discuss, and I know it would be for Claire as well."

"_What is it Nathan?" _

"I caught Claire with her boyfriend tonight…they weren't exactly doing anything inappropriate, but something about her boyfriend makes me a little uncomfortable and I'm not sure I trust her to keep boundaries with him."

"_Boundaries?" _

"I don't know how to be a father to teenage daughter. I don't know what she expects of me and I don't know how to set rules without crossing the line…"

"_Claire is a very responsible girl." _

"That doesn't mean she doesn't need rules." Nathan glanced at the framed picture of Claire on his desk. He had had pictures of her taken very soon after she had moved in with them, and now he kept the picture on his desk between two framed pictures of his sons. "Have you and your wife ever discussed…umm…"

"_Yes?" _

"Sex. With Claire." Nathan spat it out quickly.

"_She knows the basics, if that's what you mean." _

"What does she know about being safe and setting boundaries?

"_Her mother has discussed it with her. It's not really my area of parenting." _

Nathan sighed. "I just don't know how to talk to her about it. She's responsible, but she's only seventeen. I don't know…is she allowed to have sex?"

"_She lives under your roof now. You have to make the rules. Though if I may give my opinion, I'd rather she wasn't having sex." _

"That makes two of us."

"_Is there anything else, Nathan?" _

"Not at the moment…"

"_All right, because I'm sort of in the middle of something…" _

"Oh, of course. Thank you for taking my call."

"_Anytime. Good luck with Claire." _Noah hung up promptly.


	65. Stepping In to Help

_A/N: Reading through snippets of my story, I've just realized that I accidentally changed the name of Kyoto (the Japanese girl rescued by Claude's group) to Kyoko. That was unintentional, but in the future I will be using the name "Kyoko". I hope this didn't confuse anyone too greatly. _

SYLAR

NEW YORK

Her laughter rang through his ears like daggers. Every hint of happiness only reminded him how much pain he had caused. When he had set out on this mission, he hadn't realized how difficult it would be to follow through. Giving his promise to Emily had felt simple—obvious. He loved her so much, and he knew he would willingly die for her, but this was too much. At the moment, he would rather take death. Staying carefully cloaked in the shadows of a large oak tree, Sylar listened to their conversation.

"What do you think your mom will say when she finds out we skipped school?"

"She's been pretty preoccupied lately. I doubt she'll ever find out."

"The school will call, Micah. Absences are always reported!"

"Then I'll just make sure and intercept the phone call!"

"Do you really think she'll be upset, then?"

"No. Not really."

"I bet Matt will freak when he finds out."

"Molly, this was your idea!"

"Yea, well, school is boring!" Molly laughed again and Sylar took a deep breath to calm himself. "Besides, that guidance counselor was creeping me out."

"Mr. Watkins?"

Sylar's ears perked up at the change in Micah's tone. The carefree laughter the kids had been indulging in moments before had suddenly been replace by caution and fear.

"Yea, him."

"Molly, I told you to tell me if he came and talked to you!"

"I know." Molly's voice was almost trembling. "He told me that our conversations should be kept private though."

"I don't trust him."

"Me either."

"What did he say to you?"

Molly hesitated and Sylar listened even more carefully to be certain he didn't miss anything.

"He asked me a lot of questions about my parents and how they died. And then he wanted to know about Matt and how I came to live with him, and he even asked me about when I used to live with Peter and Claire. He actually had a lot of questions about Peter and Claire."

"How much did you tell him?"

"Not much. I told him I had to go to class and then I came and found you."

"I think we should talk to someone about him. I already mentioned him to my mom, but she just told me to be careful."

"Who should we talk to then?"

"Maybe Matt."

"Or Dr. Suresh. He knows everything."

"Do you know how to get a hold of him?"

"Claire does. She should be out of school by now. Come on!"

Sylar stepped further behind the tree as the kids started running across the park in his direction. He watched them pass by, oblivious to his presence, and then he followed them at a careful distance. He didn't like the sound of this Mr. Watkins any more than the kids did, and if there was someone asking questions, he knew it was likely connected to the company. He had made a promise to Emily, and he wasn't going to let the company get to Molly now. Emily had gone through too much to lose her daughter again now.

NIKI & JESSICA SANDERS

NEW YORK

"Hello, I'm Niki Sanders, Micah Hawkins' mother." Niki held her hand out to the principal and gave him her most winning smile.

"Of course," he returned the smile easily. "Are you here about Micah missing school today?"

Niki's smile flickered briefly, but over the years she had become expert at hiding her emotions, so she fixed it quickly, but made a mental note to discuss it with her son later. "Oh that? No. I'm sorry, there was a thing with his dad…I meant to call…"

"Not at all." The principal motioned for her to take a seat. "As long as we have your permission, his absence won't be counted."

"I'm here actually to discuss this new guidance counselor…"

"Guidance counselor?"

"Yes. Micah mentioned that there was a new guidance counselor who has been trying to make him talk a lot lately. I understand the importance of counselors in a school, especially at this age, but Micah's not comfortable speaking with counselors, really."

"Of course," the principal nodded. "We don't require our students to talk to counselors if they prefer not to."

"Really?" Niki shrugged. "Good. I hoped it wouldn't be an issue. It's just the way Micah made it sound…it's as though this counselor was being a little insistent."

"Do you know his name?"

"Mr. Watkins."

The Principal frowned. "Mr. Watkins? Are you sure?"

Niki nodded. "Positive." She didn't like his expression. "Why? What's wrong?"

"I'm afraid there's been some sort of mistake Mrs. Sanders. We don't have anyone here by the name."

"Are you absolutely certain?"

"Of course. I know my staff." He seemed a little offended.

She nodded apologetically. "Right. Naturally. Perhaps Micah got the name wrong."

"I do apologize for any discomfort Micah felt about this, however. I assure you I will make certain that he never feels forced into speaking with a counselor against his will in the future."

"Thank you." Niki stood and shook his hand again before leaving.

"_I told you there was something weird going on here." _

"Quiet." Niki snapped at the voice in her head as she walked the few blocks back to her house.

"_Come on Niki, admit it. Micah's in danger." _

"I said, shut up." Niki refused to agree with Jessica, despite the evidence.

"_Micah is in danger." _Jessica's voice was low and insistent. _"You can't ignore that. You have to do something." _

"I will." Niki's voice was hardly convincing. "I just don't want to overreact. We don't know what's going on. We need all the facts."

"_What else do we need to know?" _

"We don't know who the man is…"

"_We know he's not who he says he is. And we know that he's been asking a hell of a lot of questions." _

"I know…"

"_If you're not going to do something about it, I will." _

"What? No! Jessica, no!"

Niki fought for control, but Jessica had been growing in strength, and Niki was rarely a match for her anymore.

"That's better." Jessica smiled as she passed by her reflection in a window. Niki was glaring at her from the other side. "Don't fret doll. Just sit back and enjoy the ride. I'll take it from here."

PETER

NEW YORK

"What the hell was that?" Peter sat up in bed after suddenly waking from his strange dream.

Peter sat for a moment with one leg over the edge of the bed, rubbing his eyes as though that would somehow bring more sense to his dream. A glance at the clock told him it was still a couple hours before dawn, but his hand reached automatically towards his cell phone. He pulled back his hand, reconsidering.

He wanted nothing so badly as he wanted to talk to Claire. She was the only person he could think of to talk to about this, but their renewed friendship was still too new. He didn't want to risk pushing her away so soon. Instead he called Dr. Suresh, figuring that he might need a doctor for the problem he seemed to be having.

"_Peter? Is everything all right?" _

"Umm, yea…everything's okay, Mohinder." Peter hesitated. "Where are you now? I hope it's not late there."

"_No, it's late morning here. Is everything really all right, Peter?" _

"Well, you know, I don't want to cause alarm, but I've been having these strange dreams and I'm not sure what to make of them. I thought maybe you'd have some insight."

"_Dreams? Well, I can't guarantee insight of course. Dreams aren't my particular specialty, but I'll give it a go. What have you been dreaming?" _

"I keep dreaming about a man…" Peter paused and he could hear Mohinder breathing on the other end, but he didn't say anything. Clearly he was waiting for more interesting information. "At first I could just see him, but he wasn't very defined. Then he started speaking to me, but I couldn't make out what he was saying. Lately though, he's become much more clear and I can hear him better."

"_And what's he say?" _

"He's asking for my help."

"_Your help in what?" _

"I'm not sure. He just keeps asking for help."

"_I'm afraid you haven't given me much to go on, Peter." _

"Well, there's more…"

"_Yes?"_

Peter hesitated, wondering how crazy he would sound when he spoke his dream out loud. He had tried a while ago with Nathan and Claire, but he had laughed it off along with them. He wasn't laughing this time.

"_Peter?" _

"Mohinder, the man in my dreams is my dad. I'm positive."

"_But I thought your father was…" _

"Dead, I know. That's why I'm concerned."

Mohinder was silent for a moment, and Peter wondered what he was thinking. When he did speak, his words were carefully chosen and articulated. _"There is a possibility that what you have believed to be true may not be so."_

"You mean, about my dad or my dreams?"

"_I suppose both, but I am referring to your father."_

"You thinkmy dad might be alive?"

"_I'm only saying that we have been wrong in our assumptions before. It might be wise to keep the possibilities open. After all, this could be a manifestation of the ability you took from Molly. She's been reporting similar dreams." _

Peter didn't know if he was relieved that Mohinder didn't think he was crazy, or concerned with what Mohinder proposed. "Thank you for listening Mohinder."

"_Don't hesitate to call me anytime Peter. I want to hear updates about your dreams." _

"Of course, I will."

"_Peter, before you go, would you mind updating me on Claire's status? I've been talking with her, but she rarely mentions her boyfriend, and I can't bring it up without thinking about how I want to warn her."_

"She won't listen to you."

"_I am aware, which is why I avoid the topic altogether, but I must know that she is all right." _

Peter sighed. "I'd like to say she is, but to be honest, I'm not sure. We're talking again, but she's very quiet about Jaden. I'm worried about her."

"_But you're keeping an eye on her, correct?" _

"Of course." Peter sighed. "I'm taking care of her."

MOHINDER

PARIS, FRANCE

Mohinder's heart pounded hard as he quickly rummaged through Sasha's belongings. She would be gone for only a short time, and he was determined to take advantage of that time. She rarely left things lying around, but she had been in a hurry when she left to take her phone call and had left her bag on the table. His eyes drifted to the closed door frequently, as he flipped through loose papers, scanning quickly for words that seemed important. When the papers failed him, he moved on to her wallet, hoping for some clue to indicate what her true motive was. He knew there was something more to Sasha and her boyfriend then he understood at the moment, but he was fairly certain that her agenda went beyond that of the company for which they both worked. There were too many pieces to her puzzle that didn't fit.

_Bzz…Bzz…_

Mohinder jumped so hard when his phone vibrated that he knocked the purse off the table. Quickly answering the phone, Mohinder spoke quietly while trying to put the purse back in order.

"Hello?"

"_Mohinder!" _

"Maddie, this isn't the best time."

"_It's never a good time with you_."

Mohinder sighed. Madeline was right. He hadn't been to Seattle in almost a month now, and their phone calls were becoming sparser each week. He wished he could figure out how to express how much he missed her, but a long distance relationship was proving more challenging than he had anticipated, and he knew she felt the strain as well.

"I'm sorry I haven't been able to talk much lately, Sweetheart, but work has been…"

"_Time consuming. I know." _She sighed.

"I really miss you though."

"_I know._"

He didn't believe her. "I really do. As soon as we're done here in France, I'm going to make a visit to Seattle a priority."

"_I want more than a visit, Mohinder." _

"More?"

"_A 24-hour visit every few weeks is not a relationship." _

He couldn't argue her very valid point.

"_It's been almost eight months now, and you've been gone for seven of them." _

"That's not true. I was in Seattle for at least three months at the beginning." He knew that wasn't the point she was trying to make. "I'm sorry, Maddie. I want to come back. I really do, but you know that I have a job to do. I warned you how demanding it would be before we started anything…"

"_I know." _

"You were fine with it then." He hesitated. "Have you changed your mind?"

"_No." _She answered after a short pause. _"I don't think so." _

Her answer wasn't as reassuring as he would have liked.

"_I just need to know that there's a point to this." _

"To what exactly?"

"_Our relationship. Will your work ever end? Will you ever be able to come back to me, or am I wasting time believing that this is more than just phone calls and sporadic booty calls." _

"Madeline, you have never been a _booty call_ for me."

She laughed, but didn't sound completely convinced.

"You know I love you. This job won't last forever, and as soon as I have fulfilled my commitment, I will come back to you. I promise." She was silent and he was worried she wasn't listening. "You do believe me, don't you?"

"_I want to." _

"Please do."

The door opened suddenly and Sasha entered. The phone call had distracted Mohinder from putting her purse back completely, and she spotted him instantly, with a hand on her purse and a few of its contents still scattered on the hardwood floor of their hotel room.

"What the hell are you doing?" She slammed the door and marched over to him, snatching the purse from his hand.

"Maddie, I have to go now. I'll call you later." Mohinder hung up quickly and stood to stare down at Sasha. He had always felt that his height had been one of his few advantages over Sasha, and he used it frequently. "It fell."

"You were snooping."

"I wasn't!"

"It didn't fall on its own. You were looking through my things. What were you looking for?"

"Nothing!" He continued to protest. "I didn't touch your things."

Sasha picked up the few spilled items and held her purse tightly. "I better never catch you near my stuff again." She hurried from the living room, into her bedroom and slammed the door.

Mohinder let out a deep breath and sank onto the couch.

CLAIRE & JADEN

NEW YORK, PROM NIGHT

"Baby, what's up?"

"_We've got a problem." _

"Another one?" Jaden slowed as he approached Claire's house, and turned down a side-street to give himself time for Sasha's phone call. "What's wrong now?"

"_I think we've been discovered." _

"What do you mean? By whom?"

"_Mohinder. I found him going through my things just now. He denies it, but his eyes were lying. He was clearly looking for something." _

"Are you sure?"

"_Positive. He must know I'm hiding something from him. He might already know about you." _

"How could he?"

"_You said he met you in New York. He has lots of connections. He could have found out." _

"I'm sure we would know if he knew. He would tell Claire. He cares a lot about her and he would want to warn her."

"_Maybe he's planning to. We can't take that chance." _

"What do you want me to do?"

"_We have to act now to secure Claire's loyalty or we might lose her forever, and then our plan will be ruined. We can't do it without her blood and you know it." _

Jaden sighed. Sasha was always putting pressure on him. Sometimes he felt like she just expected him to do everything, while she just waited for the end result.

"_Jaden? What are you going to do?" _

"I have an idea."

"_Yea?" _

"I'll tell you about it after it works."

"_And if it doesn't work?" _

"It will." He started walking back towards her house. "I'll get her loyalty, don't worry."

"_How?" _

"I have to go now Sasha. I'll talk to you later." Jaden hung up the phone and slipped it into his pocket as Claire opened the front door.

"I've been waiting for you!"

"Sorry, am I late?" He gave her a kiss.

"No. I was just excited." Claire returned his kiss and then beckoned him inside the door. "I just need to get my coat and I'll be ready to go."

"Actually," Jaden shut the door. "I thought we could stay in tonight."

"In?" Claire frowned. "You said you had the whole night planned."

"I do."

"Oh…" she hesitated. "I just assumed that your big night would include going out."

"If you want it to, I can change my plans, but I had arranged for a night in actually…"

"A night in?" Claire shrugged. "Whatever you had planned I suppose will be fine."

"Good." He held up a large bag he had been holding in his left hand. "I've got some stuff to prepare. Why don't you go upstairs and give me about ten minutes to get it set up."

"Fine." Claire obediently surrendered. "I need to make a phone call anyway." She skipped up the stairs to her bedroom and closed the door for privacy while she dialed her dad. He picked up almost immediately.

"_Claire Bear. Hi." _

"Hey dad!"

"_It's been a while." _

"I know, I'm sorry. Life's been a little crazy."

"_How so?" _

"Oh…you know…"

"_Still dating that old guy?" _

"Jaden's not old, dad." Claire protested.

"_He's older than I'd like for my baby girl." _

"He's a good guy. He's good to me…"

"_Yea? How so?" _

"He spoils me."

"_Is that all it takes to make you happy Claire Bear? I thought you would need more than that." _

Claire laughed. "No, that's not all. It's nice though…for a change."

"_A change from what?" _

Claire hesitated. She hadn't meant to reveal so much of her feelings to her father. "I like how Jaden makes me feel special without knowing how _special_ I am."

"_You like that he doesn't know about your ability, don't you?" _

"It's sort of nice," Claire agreed.

"Claire!" Jaden called from downstairs.

"Dad, I've got to go. He's waiting for me."

"_All right Claire Bear. But be careful, okay?" _

"I always am." Claire hung up and dropped her phone on the bed before hurrying downstairs to join Jaden. "Jaden?" When she reached the break between the first and second flights of stairs she realized that all the lights had been turned off downstairs. "Jaden, babe?"

"In here."

She followed his voice and found him in the living room, which he had lit with multiple candles set up around the room.

"What's going on Jaden?"

"I told you I had the night planned."

"This is…" she hesitated in the doorway. "This is unexpected."

"Don't you like it?" He held up a glass of wine.

"Umm…yea, but…" she stayed where she was.

"Baby, what's wrong?" He walked towards her and handed her the glass. "I thought this would make you happy."

"I just don't really understand…"

"Well, tonight's your prom, and I know how magical that night is for girls, but since you couldn't go, I wanted tonight to be magical for you anyway."

"With candles and wine?" Claire sipped from the glass, wrinkled her nose, and set it down on a shelf near the door. "What else do you have plan exactly?"

"Whatever you want…" he led her to the couch and they sat down together. "I just thought maybe it was time..."

"Time?"

He leaned in to kiss her, but she didn't respond. "You know…for the next step…"

"Jaden, I think I might know what you're thinking, but I'm not sure I'm ready…"

"But it's prom night. Isn't this what happens on prom nights?"

"Maybe for some people." Claire tried to pull away from him, but he held his arms around her firmly and kissed her again.

"Just relax baby. We'll take it slow, I promise. If you think about it, I know you'll realize this is what you want…"

Claire was quiet for a moment and let him continue to kiss her. She wondered if he was right. She couldn't lie to herself—she had thought about it before. She hadn't made a decision though, because she couldn't make up her mind. It didn't feel right yet.

"Jaden…" she squirmed as he lifted her shirt and started kissing her stomach. "I'm not sure about this…"

"Babe, I planned this whole night…I've put a lot of thought into it. I thought you were ready." He sat up and frowned down at her. "I think I've been pretty patient, you know?"

"You have…" Claire was a little afraid of his tone. "I didn't realize that I was making you wait though. I mean, obviously I knew I was making you wait, but I didn't think it bothered you."

"I'm almost five years older than you. Do you really think I don't want to have sex?"

"I'm sorry…" Claire felt like crying, but she felt silly enough already without adding immature tears to the mix. "I'm just nervous…"

"I know you are babe." His tone was instantly different. He lowered his voice and leaned closer to whisper. "That's why I'm going to be very gentle." He pulled her shirt off entirely. "You have nothing to worry about."

Claire tried to take a few breaths to calm herself as Jaden started unfastening her pants, but she couldn't relax. She pushed him away.

"Now what?" He sighed.

"I'm not sure I'm ready, Jaden."

"You really need to grow up."

"Jaden…" Claire frowned "That's not very nice…"

"Well you're being annoying." He started kissing her neck, and then downwards towards her chest.

"Jaden…" she felt helpless beneath his body weight, but she still tried pushing him away. "Please…"

He held her hands down easily and continued kissing her.

"Jaden…" Claire continued to struggle, but he didn't stop. "Jaden stop."

She felt tears leak out of her eyes and down into her hair as she felt her panic overwhelming her. She tried once more to make him stop, but he persisted. Her instincts kicked in and she screamed without thinking. Jaden stopped momentarily and stared down at her, both in shock and anger.

"What the hell was that?"

Before Claire could respond, Jaden was pulled off of her and hurled with incredible strength across the room. Claire sat up instantly and gasped when she saw Peter heading towards Jaden.

"Peter!"

He picked Jaden up off the floor and hit him hard in the face. Jaden seemed too shocked to respond, but when Peter prepared to hit him again, Jaden did manage to block the attack and retaliate with a weak punch of his own, which Peter avoided easily. He hit Jaden again, and Jaden yelped and covered his nose.

"Dammit! You bastard!" His voice sounded muffled and when he pulled his hands away Claire saw that his nose was bleeding heavily.

Peter ignored Jaden's damaged face and prepared to strike again, but Claire leapt to her feet and rushed to stop him.

"Peter, that's enough!" She grabbed his arm and pulled him away. He fought her, but she continued to plead and he gave in, giving Jaden space to mourn his wounds.

"Are you crazy?" Jaden spat out blood, and gently touched his nose. "I think you broke my nose you son of a bitch!"

"You're lucky that's all I did. I should kill you!"

"Peter!" Claire grabbed hold of his arm as he lunged towards Jaden again.

"Get the hell out of this house. I don't want to see you again! I don't want you ever coming near her again!"

"You can't tell me what to do. Claire loves me…" Jaden wobbled to a standing position.

Claire hid partly behind Peter. "Jaden, I think you should go."

He frowned. "This was supposed to be the night and then _he_ comes in and ruins it!"

"I think you ruined it enough on your own," Peter snapped. "Now get out!"

Jaden stumbled out of the room and a moment later they heard the front door slam shut behind his exit. The moment he was gone, Peter turned to Claire, grasped her arms firmly, and stared hard into her eyes.

"Are you all right?"

Claire nodded, but she was trembling. "How did you know?"

He hesitated.

"Were you spying on me?"

"I was worried for you. I don't trust Jaden at all, and clearly I had good reason."

"He just…" she sighed. "He got carried away."

"Claire, don't fool yourself. If I hadn't shown up, you know exactly what would have happened. He wouldn't have stopped."

Claire glanced down, suddenly remembering that she wasn't wearing anything but her bra and panties, and she pulled away from him. "You should go."

Peter pulled a blanket from the couch and wrapped it around her shoulders. "I'm not leaving you alone right now." He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly.

As much as Claire loved the feeling of his arms securely around her, she knew she was risking too much by being this close to him. Her heart had already started to race.

"Peter…" she whispered, trying not to cry. "Please. You have to go."

He broke the hug and stepped away. He didn't want to leave, but one slip into her thoughts told him that she needed him to leave.

"I'm just a phone call away if you change your mind."

She shook her head. "Just go."

He nodded and started walking away.

"Oh, and Peter…"

"Yea?"

"You can run now."

"Run?"

She nodded. "Jaden has an ability."

"An ability?"

"He runs. Fast."

"He runs?"

Claire smiled a little. "It's cool. You should try it."

"I will." Peter wanted to reach out to her again, but he fought the urge and left quickly, giving her the space she needed.

When he was gone, Claire curled up on the couch and cried.


	66. Steps to Take

_A/N: *I creep slowly out from my shameful hiding and plead forgiveness* I also plead for you to keep on reading, enjoying (hopefully), and reviewing!! I know it's been ages since an update, but I'm finally getting my life under control a little, so that means my writing can become a bit bigger of a priority. _

SASHA & JADEN

VANCOUVER, CANANDA

"Could you be anymore useless?"

"Useless?" Jaden stood and crossed the room. "Useless?"

"I gave you one task and you screwed it up," Sasha lectured.

"I didn't screw it up," he protested, "she did."

"You tried to force a teenage girl into having sex with you before she was ready!" Sasha recapped sharply. "Umm, newsflash, that's like rape."

"I did not rape her!"

"You might as well have." Sasha picked up a pillow from the bed and squeezed it tightly to suppress her anger. "She'll never trust you now."

"That's not true," Jaden argued. "She just needs times to come around."

"You were thrown out of the house."

"By Peter," he reminded her. "If Peter hadn't have come…"

"Then you would have raped her."

Jaden glared at his girlfriend and moved towards the bed swiftly, leaning over her. "Do I need to remind you that this was all your idea? You were the one who told me seduce the cheerleader! If it weren't for you, I never would have been in this situation!"

"I thought we were in this together," Sasha snapped.

Jaden sighed and sat down in the armchair across from the bed. "I'm sorry babe. We are, of course. I just…" he shook his head. "I think I'm in over my head with Claire."

Sasha's anger instantly turned to sugary encouragement, and she slid off the bed to kneel in front of him. "Don't give up on me now," she pleaded. "You have done so well. I overreacted about all this. Claire will calm down, you'll see." Sasha pressed her lips against Jaden's knees. "She just needs to grow up a little. Like you said, she's just a cheerleader."

Jaden touched his bandaged nose gently, remembering the fight.

"Does it still hurt?" Sasha sat up taller to kiss his nose.

"Of course it hurts! He broke it."

"I know," she sighed, "I'm sorry."

"How did he know?"

"I told you we had been compromised. Mohinder must have called Peter," she mused. "I wonder how long they've been on to us."

"If they really are on to us, it won't be safe for me to return to Claire."

"You have to," Sasha insisted.

"It could be dangerous…"

"I don't care how dangerous it is!" Sasha stood and moved away from him again. "This is too important Jaden, and you know it. We have come too far to lose it all now. Without Claire…" she sighed. "We need to keep her away from _them_ or else they win."

Jaden nodded.

"You don't want them to win do you?"

"No," he shook his head. "They can't win."

She smiled victoriously and perched on the edge of the bed.

"Sasha, if we've been compromised by Peter and Mohinder, there's a chance that they know too."

"No," she disagreed. "Absolutely not. How could they possibly know?"

"They have spies everywhere."

"Trust me, Angela Petrelli is a brilliant woman, but her biggest flaw is her conceit. She thinks way too highly of herself to ever suspect that one of her most valued employees would be working against her." Sasha smiled. "They adore me."

"It better stay that way," Jaden reminded her.

"It will, as long as you can regain your influence over Claire. We have to convince them that we've got this under control or they will send someone else, and then we'll never succeed."

"Don't worry. I'll figure it out."

"I know, babe. I have faith in you," she smiled. "You really should get back to New York now though. What if Claire tries to contact you."

"If she does, I can get there in a flash. I want to stay with you."

"Fine, but if Mohinder comes back, you have to run." She noted his expression. "Just in case we're wrong, and he knows nothing about you."

Jaden promised, and she permitted him to stay.

MOHINDER, MADELINE, & MICHAEL

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON

"How much longer will you be working with them?"

Mohinder didn't like the expression on Madeline's face when she asked the question, so he looked away when he answered. "I cannot predict that."

"It's been months, Mohinder," she complained. "I hate your job."

"I know," he sighed. "I do too."

"Then why don't you just quit already?"

Mohinder glanced at Michael and then back at Madeline. "You know I can't."

"No, I don't know that," she argued. "You keep saying that, but you won't explain why. It seems so ridiculous. They can't force you to work for them. That can't be legal."

"I don't think they're very concerned with what is legal or not."

"Look Mohinder," Michael spoke up, "I know you sort of got tangled up with them when you were working on me, and I appreciate what you were willing to do, but I'm better now. You don't have to keep it up."

Mohinder smiled at him, but shook his head. "It may have begun that way Michael, and I am indescribably relieved that you have recovered so completely, but unfortunately they are much more inventive than I anticipated."

"Inventive?"

"They can be very convincing."

"This is about the girl, isn't it?" Madeline frowned. "Molly. You don't talk about her much, but when you do, you're always worried. They're using her to keep you working."

Mohinder nodded. "As long as I am compliant, they promise to leave her alone."

"What could they do to her if you didn't comply?" Michael asked.

"I don't even want to consider those possibilities!" Mohinder covered his eyes with his hands. "They've had her in their grasps before. I gave her my word that I would never let it happen again."

"There have to be other ways to protect her," Madeline decided. "I'm sure we can think of something…" she adjusted her position on the couch, so she was more comfortably situated with Mohinder's arm around her shoulders.

"She doesn't have family," Mohinder explained. "She is very cared for by Matt and myself, and even Claire and Niki, but she has no family—no legal protection." He shook his head. "I am not even convinced that legal protection could do anything. If the Company wants something bad enough, they will succeed."

Madeline and her brother were silent. Neither had any words of encouragement for Mohinder, though they wished they could help in some way. Michael still felt that he owed Mohinder his life, not to mention the doctor had become even more important after falling in love with his sister. He hated not being able to help Mohinder in this situation. At the same time, Madeline wished she had an answer that would help him leave his career, but continue his research with the virus, and be with her, and take care of Molly. She didn't like feeling useless.

"There's more to my obligation to the Company than simply protecting Molly from them."

"Oh?"

"As much as I would hate to rely on them, if Sylar came back, they may be the only ones who are able to stop him," Mohinder explained. He had told the siblings about Sylar's previous tyrannies and they were both appropriately concerned about his potential return. "If he does return, it will only be a matter of time before he comes after Molly again. I may need the Company to help me protect her."

"That's twisted," Michael decided. "Having the bad guys stop the other bad guy…"

"I know," Mohinder agreed, "but I fear I may have no other options."

SYLAR & EMILY

NEW YORK

"You have to stop beating yourself up for this, Gabriel." Emily placed her hands over the paper Sylar was scribbling on. She leveled her eyes with his and frowned. "You're driving both of us crazy."

"I've got to get it done," he insisted, removing her hands from the paper and continuing to write.

"I don't expect you to fix everything over night," she reminded him. "I don't expect you to fix everything at all, actually. You know that."

"I have to."

"Gabriel…" she sighed and moved around behind his chair, wrapping her arms around him and placing her chin on top of his head. "I told you that all was forgiven. I'm not holding your past against you."

He stood suddenly, pulling away from her. "Stop that."

"Stop what?" Emily frowned.

"Stop pardoning me as though this were something so simple!"

"Gabriel…"

"No! This can't be forgiven like that," he insisted. "You can't just make up your mind to forget everything and think it will be over just like that. Everything I did…it's too much. You don't have that power."

"For the stuff concerning my daughter, I do," she told him. "You're not that person anymore. I know that, and if you gave yourself a chance, you would know it too."

"I do know it…" he whispered. "I just can't…I don't know how…" he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to control the confused anger bubbling up inside of him. "I don't know what to do to make this right."

"I know," she approached him slowly. "I told you it would be difficult."

He let her embrace him again and he folded his arms around her. "How can you be so forgiving?"

"We all have pasts," she reminded him. "We've all done things we aren't proud of."

"Some of us more than most."

"True," she pressed her lips against his chest, "but it's never too late to start over."

"You're too good for me. I don't deserve your mercy, and I definitely don't deserve your love." He tried to pull away from her again, but she held on tightly.

"I know," she told him. "Believe me, I've tried to stop…" she smiled. "It's not as easy as you'd expect."

He kissed her deeply, passionately, and desperately. At that moment, he could think of nothing except for how much he loved Emily and how much he cherished all she had come to mean in his life. She returned his kiss with equal vigor for almost a full three minutes before he finally pulled away.

"Okay…"

"What now?" she asked.

"I do have to get back to work, Em," he told her. "We have a lot to do if we want to help save your daughter and her friends from those evil people who ruined our lives."

"I know, you're right." She glanced down at the files on the table. "Tell me what to do."

NIKI & JESSICA SANDERS

NEW JERSEY

"New Jersey?" Niki nearly screamed. "What the hell am I doing in New Jersey?"

Niki moved away from the window in her motel room and walked over to the floor length mirror against the wall. Jessica's reflection smirked from inside the mirror. She crossed her arms and lifted an eyebrow at her twin.

"Jessica, what did you do?" Niki placed her hands against the mirror and glared at the reflection.

"What you wouldn't. I told you I would take care of things."

"What does that mean though? What did you take care of?"

Jessica smiled.

"Jessica. What did you do?" Niki nearly screamed.

"Don't worry sweetheart, I knew that you would be curious, so I made sure to document it for you." Jessica pointed towards her pocket and Niki quickly pulled out a small digital camera.

She turned on the camera and started flipping through the pictures. The more she saw, the more scared and disgusted she became. From what she could understand, Jessica had murdered two men and buried them in some unidentified location in New Jersey. When she had seen all she could handle, Niki looked back to the reflection, fighting the urge to cry.

"Who were they?"

"They were a threat to our son."

"Micah?" Niki gasped.

"Remember the guidance counselor who didn't exist?"

Niki nodded. "I was following up on that."

"Not quickly enough. Things were getting out of hand, so I took over. I followed him and found out he wasn't working alone. He and his partner have been following both Micah and Molly. They were asking too many questions."

"And so you killed them?" Niki glanced at the picture evidence on the camera again. "My god…they're in pieces…"

"Like I said, I knew you wouldn't be able to handle it."

"You can't just take over my life and kill people!" Niki protested. "It's still my life. It doesn't matter who's consciousness is in charge—when I come back, I'm still the one who killed them. I have to deal with the consequences…Micah has to deal with them…"

"There won't be any consequences," Jessica assured her. "The people these men worked for wouldn't want the authorities involved with their death. Trust me."

Despite herself, Niki felt her curiosity rising. "Who did they work for?"

"You remember The Company, don't you?"

Niki shook her head.

"Come now, it wasn't that long ago, though you may never have heard the proper title…Linderman and his associates go by that."

"Linderman…" Niki gasped.

"Yep. Just because the old bastard's dead doesn't mean all his friends are, and they are just as interested in Micah as he was."

"No…"

"Let's face it, our boy's special." Jessica glared sharply. "And they're not going to stop until they've got what they want."

"No, they're not."

"Well, can you take care of it then?"

Niki started to cry. "I want to be strong for him, but I can't…I don't know what to do…"

"And?"

She continued to cry for a moment and then slowly looked up and stared firmly into the eyes of her reflection. "You have to be strong for all of us."

"Really?" Jessica smiled.

"I can't do this alone."

"No, you really can't. Don't worry, I'll take care of everything."

Niki closed her eyes and when she opened them again she was looking out from behind the mirror and Jessica was busily admiring her new physical body.

PETER & CLAIRE

PETER'S APARTMENT, NEW YORK

"Can I get you anything?" Peter peered into his refrigerator hopefully. "Umm…well, all I have is water actually."

"I'm fine," Claire assured him. "I don't need anything."

He straightened up and looked at her. "Are you sure?"

"This isn't really a social call," she reminded him. "I mean it is, but not like that…you don't have to entertain me."

"I just want you to be comfortable," he told her. "I feel like food can sometimes ease the awkwardness of situations."

"This doesn't have to be awkward," she insisted. "I'm just here to talk."

"I know." He finally stopped searching through his kitchen and joined her in the living room. Claire was sitting on the long couch, and so he took the chair across from her. "Okay, let's talk."

"First I wanted to say 'thank you'."

"Claire, you don't have to thank me for that. I just wish…" he stopped himself and shook his head.

"What?" She asked slowly. "What do you wish?"

"Honestly, I wish you would break up with that jackass once and for all. He's no good for you Claire!"

"Jaden's not a bad guy," Claire argued. "He has flaws, sure, but so does everyone else. And deep down I know he cares about me."

Peter had a momentary urge to shout at her and tell her what an idiot she was being, but he refrained, not wanting to scare her away after only a few minutes of her visit; her visits to his apartment had become far too rare, and he wanted to enjoy every moment.

He had been silent for a few moments, and Claire instantly assumed the worse. "Please don't judge me for this."

"Judge you?"

"You must think I'm pathetic," she sighed.

"I don't think you're pathetic."

"Sure you do. You hate that I'm with Jaden. You don't understand why I let him into my life, but you don't know him like I do," she explained.

"Seriously, it's your decision to make." He placed his hands on his knees and took a deep breath, but Claire could see that he was digging his fingers into his leg slightly. "If you think there's a legitimately decent human being there, then maybe you're right."

Claire was silent.

"But if not…" Peter shrugged. "Why would you waste your time?"

She still didn't have an answer that she could be proud of.

"Look Claire, I know I'm not your dad or whatever, but I think I have a right to give you some advice. You're a truly amazing girl, and I just think that any guy would be unbelievably lucky to be with you. Therefore, I just don't like you with guys like Jaden. They don't even begin to deserve you. You need to be with someone who deserves all of you."

"Oh?"

"Yea. Someone who recognizes you for who you are, and would be willing to do anything to make you smile, and someone who would give their life for you without a flicker of hesitation. Someone who…"

"Someone like you?" She spat the words out before she could stop herself, and the moment she did she regretted it. They both grew very silent. "I should go."

"You just got here."

"I think it was a mistake for me to come here." She stood.

"I don't want you to be afraid of being around me. I thought I had proven myself to you. I'm not ever going to do anything stupid like that again…"

"We promised never to talk about that, Peter."

"I know, but when you won't let yourself be alone with me for more than a second, it's difficult to forget about it."

"I'm sorry." Claire headed towards the door, passing close enough to Peter's chair to touch him. She let her fingers brush against his arm just slightly, and they both tensed. "I don't think I'm going to be coming here alone anymore."

He just nodded.

She opened the door and looked back at Peter, but he hadn't turned around. "Goodbye." She left quickly before he could respond, and she galloped down the staircase and outside. When she reached the sidewalk outside his apartment, she sat down on the steps and fought her urge to cry.

"Claire."

She looked up instantly as she recognized the voice. Jaden, who had been across the street, was now crossing towards her quickly, smiling widely, though clearly a little nervous.

"Hi," she greeted him as he stopped in front of her.

"How are you doing?"

"I'm fine."

"Really?" He gazed down at her and nudged her foot with his toe.

"How are you?" She pointed towards his nose. "Did you get it fixed?"

"Yea. It hurts like hell still though."

"I'm sorry."

"It wasn't your fault. You didn't tell that psycho to come and attack me."

"I know, but he's my uncle…"

"He's an idiot, that's what he is."

"He's protective."

"He's tearing us apart!"

"He worries about me," she defended quickly. "That's all."

"Well so do I. I worry about how much he worries. He's your uncle, not your boyfriend," Jaden reminded her.

"I know that," she snapped.

"Yea, but does he?"

Claire hesitated and Jaden feared he might have pushed her too far.

"I'm sorry. That was out of line."

"You're right," she agreed, "it was out of line."

Jaden sighed. He couldn't afford to anger her with anything he said, but it was so difficult to keep her happy. "About the other night…"

"Yea, about that…Jaden, if Peter hadn't…interrupted us, what would have happened?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb," she snapped. "You know what I mean."

"I think it was pretty obvious what I wanted that night, and until you let that bastard knock me down, I thought you wanted it too."

"And I thought I made it pretty clear that I didn't want _that_."

He looked away from her momentarily. "I must have misunderstood. I thought you really loved me, but…"

"Love and sex are two different things Jaden," Claire stood up, suddenly over her tears, and tried to stare him down.

"We've been dating for months. Usually when people care about each other, like I thought we did, sex comes naturally."

Claire shook her head. "Well maybe not for me. The truth is I'm glad Peter stepped in the other night. I don't think you would have stopped if he hadn't."

"That's not true," he protested.

"Really?" She sighed. "I'd like to believe you, but…"

"How can I prove it to you?"

"I don't know if you can."

"Please let me try."

Claire hesitated.

"Please babe." He reached out to her and pulled her into his arms.

She gave into the hug a little reluctantly, but she didn't pull away.

"So, we're good?" Jaden kissed the top of her head.

"I wouldn't say that quite yet," Claire corrected him, "but I'm giving you another chance. I need to know that I can trust you though Jaden. Don't disappoint me again."

"I won't." He kissed her quickly. "Now, let me run you home."

"Not tonight."

"What? You love it when we run."

"I just feel like walking tonight," she told him.

"Oh, all right. We can do that."

"Actually, I need to walk alone." She stepped away from him. "Call me later."

"Okay." He didn't look at all happy about her refusal to run with him, but he waved and ran off on his own.


End file.
